Vigilantes
by Madame Atomic Bomb
Summary: Girls are going missing in Ba Sing Se. Their only hope is two masked vigilantes, both with a score to settle. They may save the day…if they don't kill each other first. Modern AU - Zuko/Suki (Zuki)
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

Her feet pounded on the dirty pavement, splashing through puddles and dislodging piles of trash as she frantically ran down the alley, her hair streaming behind her like a black banner.

"Help me! Someone help me!" she panted as the footsteps behind her got closer and closer. Fear stabbed at her and she turned in place, frantically looking for a weapon to defend herself.

Too late.

Hands caught her by her hair, hauling her around and shoving her into the stone wall hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs.

"Give me your purse!" a rough male voice snarled as she was spun around to face her attacker. She stared up at his face. He was wearing a dark mask and the only thing visible were his eyes—mean eyes that had a gleam of malice in them. Eyes that told her everything she needed to know. He would hurt her and enjoy it. "DO IT NOW!"

A switchblade appeared in his right hand and he shoved it against her throat.

"Please don't kill me!"

"Shut up," he sneered, snatching her purse from her hands and backing up. With one hand he dumped her belongings out in the alley, kicked everything aside and then snatched the money out of her wallet. He tossed the empty wallet back at her face.

It hit her and she flinched, cringing before him as he shoved her money into his pocket.

"Is that all you've got?" he barked.

"Yes...I'm... I'm just a waitress, I don't-"

"I like that necklace. I'll take that," he said, reaching forward and snatching up her mother's locket. The chain broke with a hard yank. She let out a sob.

"Please!"

"I told you to shut your fucking mouth!" he said, crowding her now. The knife was back at her throat. "I should slit your throat for running in the first place!"

Behind his shoulder, she caught sight of a shadow moving, silently stalking through the darkened corners of the alley. At first she thought she was imagining it, but then she saw the flash of a white face, and the determination sitting in the corner of the stranger's red lips.

She braced herself, as the stranger slid silently back into the shadows.

"Is that what you want? Is that what you want me to do, huh?" her attacker said, his foul breath against her face now. He was too close. Her whole body shuddered in revulsion.

The next moment, he was gone. Jerked away from her with a hard yank so sudden that she gasped in disbelief. She watched as he landed in a pile of garbage across the alley with a muffled shout of pain.

She looked around for his assailant, but only spotted the flitting shadow of something moving in the darkness on the edge of her vision.

"What the fuck?" the mugger exclaimed, climbing out of the trash, only to have the stranger come at him from the side, rebound off of the side of the building in a jumping spin and punch him across the face. He went down on the rough pavement, skinning open his chin as he landed. He was up and spitting mad, as angry as a cat in bathwater. He waved the switchblade in his hand. "Who's there?"

The girl knew that she should be running, doing something, but she was frozen with fear.

"You get off on attacking women, don't you?" a soft voice asked from the darkness. "This is the fourth mugging you've done in this alley. You hurt the last girl. She ended up in the hospital."

He snarled something unintelligible and then narrowed his eyes. "She had it coming. Bitch wouldn't stop crying."

"I don't like that word," the stranger said in a cold, menacing tone that made her hair stand on end. "And I don't like men like you, men who get off on hurting women. You're not going to hurt anyone else, ever again. Not after tonight."

"What, you gonna stop me? You're too much of a coward to face me! I'm not afraid of you!" he snapped, snatching off his mask and tossing it down. She saw the roughness of his jawline, the mean set of his wide mouth.

The girl jumped, the scream she'd almost let loose strangling in her throat as the stranger dropped down in front of her in a crouch. The mugger jumped too, but recovered, baring his teeth and his knife.

Slowly, as graceful as a shadow, the stranger stood, shaking back chin-length brown hair. Dressed from head to toe in dark green and brown leather, there was no doubt that the stranger was a woman. She had two golden fans in each hand, and a sword strapped to her back. As she turned her face, the girl saw that that the strange woman's face was painted white, with red lips, and red-rimmed eyes.

The woman smiled at her gently and then said, "Run."

But she couldn't move. Fear glued her feet to the spot.

"You," the mugger said, "Are you the bitch they're talking about in the papers?"

"I don't like that word," the stranger repeated, her voice colder than before.

"What are you going to do about it, _bitch?" _he snarled and then charged her like an enraged bull.

The stranger didn't flinch, didn't run. She ducked the wild swing of his knife, brought her fan around and sliced it across his exposed face, opening a cut that instantly started bleeding. That seemed to anger him even more and he went for her again, obviously trying to grab her and use his superior size to his advantage.

She didn't give him the chance.

Spinning, she jammed her elbow back into his chest, pushing him back a step. She followed with a solid strike to his chin with the heel of his palm. It snapped his head back with a whipcrack, and he fell to the ground in an unconscious heap at her feet.

The strange woman slowly eased out of her defense stance and stood over him for a long moment, demurely waving the fan in her face. "_That's_ what I'm going to do about it."

The girl pushed herself away from the alley wall, shaking like a leaf now. "Is he... Did you kill him?"

"No, he's just unconscious. I'll tie him up until the police arrive. They'll need you to make a statement. Are you prepared for that?"

"I... Yes, I..." she stumbled.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No, he just scared me," she said, feeling tears in her eyes, because she knew that the mugger had intended on doing more than robbing her. The woman crouched over the mugger, quickly tying up his arms and legs. Then she stood, facing her. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled softly and then she seemed to melt into the shadows again, leaving the girl standing there in the alley, the sounds of sirens echoing through the streets of Ba Sing Se, coming closer and closer by the minute.

Even though she was alone in the alley with her attacker, somehow she knew she didn't have to be scared anymore. She knew that the woman with the painted face was still watching over her, keeping her safe.

"Thank you," she whispered to the night.

* * *

He slipped silently from rooftop to rooftop, grabbing hold of ladders and gutters as he went, swinging himself from one precarious perch after another, his muscles straining, blood singing. His breath was moist on the inside of the mask strapped to his face, but he breathed shallowly, reveling in the freedom of running, of chasing shadows across the rooftops of Ba Sing Se.

Sirens broke apart the night with a loud wail and he turned in their direction, chasing their red and blue beacons through the dirty, neon-encrusted streets. He leaped from one roof to the next, rolling with the landing and coming up on his feet in the next instant.

Faster and faster he ran, slowing only when the sirens careened to stop at the entrance to an alley. He slowed to a crawl, skidding to a halt at the edge of the building that looked down into the alley. Keeping well back in the shadows, he peered through the eyes of his mask, staring at the scene below him.

Officers were crouched over a man lying on the garbage-strewn pavement. He was bound and unconscious. A young woman was standing to the side, crying slightly as a police officer asked her questions in a reassuring tone.

"How did you subdue him?"

"I didn't! It was... Someone else. A woman. I didn't see her face. She was wearing face paint."

His eyebrow lifted beneath the mask as he sat back on his heels. His gaze flicked upward, scanning the rooftops around him in narrow-eyed suspicion. What he saw made his heart leap for a moment, as a lithe shadow separated itself from the side of a building. He saw a flash of her painted face, for just a moment, and then she was gone, taking off across the rooftops.

It was in him to follow, to give chase to the mysterious woman who had suddenly appeared on his streets the past few weeks. He'd been patrolling this city for months now, watching over its citizens, making himself a nuisance to the Triads. The newspapers had been calling him The Blue Spirit.

He liked the name, and he liked the fear his reputation brought with him.

Clearly that reputation was not enough to scare this woman though. Whoever she was, he had a feeling they'd meet sooner or later. He just hoped she didn't get in his way.

He smiled beneath his mask and took off into the darkness.

He had a city to protect.


	2. One

**CHAPTER ONE**

* * *

The phone rang, the trill sound piercing through the sleepy haze like a knife blade. Zuko started awake, tumbling out of half-remembered dreams of bare-knuckled fists and back alley brawls. Trying to orient himself, his fingers fumbling for the cell phone lost in his covers. He finally found it, hit the button without looking and shoved it against his ear.

"Hello?" he mumbled through a dry throat and a split lip.

"Zuko! Time to wake up, nephew! It's nearly noon!" his Uncle Iroh said loudly into his ear. He snorted, pushing his scarred face into the pillows as sunlight made its unwelcome intrusion. Just like his uncle's voice though, he knew he couldn't shut it out.

Groaning, he turned his head and squinted in the sunlight, glancing at the alarm clock on his bedside table. It was well past noon and he was late for his shift down in his uncle's tea shop.

"I'm coming, Uncle! Give me a moment!"

"We have customers!"

"I know... I... I'm coming!" he said as he hung up. He rubbed the last of the gritty sleep from his eyes and as he did, his hand brushed the tender flesh of his cheek and he winced again. Extracting himself from the tangle of his blankets was harder than it looked, and he stumbled a little when he got up and headed toward the bathroom.

One glance in the mirror made him blanch. Half of his face was bruised a nasty shade of green and purple, completely at odds with the red, mottled scar overtaking the left side of his face. He stared at the scar for a moment, feeling a bitter kind of acceptance at the sight of it.

He glanced down at his muscular torso, noting the scrapes and bruises there, as well as the scabs on his knuckles. At least he could hide those. The bruise on his face was going to get questioned.

Shaking his shaggy head, he turned on the taps and splashed cold water across his face to help wake him up some more. After a quick brush of his teeth and a hand run haphazardly through his hair, he slung on the first thing that didn't look dirty, shoved his feet into his shoes and charged down two flights of stairs and into the back room of the tea shop.

He knew without glancing into the shop that the place was busy. It was always busy around opening time. The Jasmine Dragon was a popular place in the neighborhood.

Which meant it was a target.

Zuko's jaw tightened as he grabbed his apron and tied it on, only to find a tray being thrust at him by his stout Uncle Iroh, who looked slightly harried, busy boiling water and baking tea cakes to compliment his famous blends.

"Table three! They have been waiting for too long now!"

"Right, sorry," he mumbled, grasping the tray. His uncle turned away, though Zuko saw the way the man had clocked the bruise on his face, and the disapproval that had followed. He knew that he was once again going to have to listen to a lecture about his nighttime activities. Or at least about his Uncle's suspicions about his nighttime activities.

Bracing himself for both a lecture, and paying customers, Zuko walked through the kitchen door and into the quiet little tea shop. Table three was a group of older women, regulars he knew well. All of them exclaimed over the tea, and once they saw his face, they started asking questions in a concerned rush.

"It's nothing. Ran into a door," he said, feeling heat in the tips of his ears. He poured their tea, and then quickly retreated before they could ask him more questions. He bussed a table that had emptied while he'd waited on the women and brought the dirty cups back into the kitchen, where he tipped them into the sink.

"How did you get the bruises, Zuko?" Iroh asked as Zuko grabbed a fresh set of cups and set them on the tray. He glanced up at his uncle, who was watching him with a worried expression on his face.

"It's nothing," he repeated.

"It's not nothing. You sleep all day, you're late for work, you're out all night doing who knows what, and you come home with bruises. What have you been doing, Zuko?" Iroh insisted.

Zuko sighed, pinching off a sprig of mint leaves from the plant in the window. He tossed the leaves into his mouth, chewing as much for something to do as out of hunger. "I'm fine, that's all you need to know, Uncle."

"And what happens when you're not fine? What happens when your nothing spills over and they follow you home?" Iroh hissed, lowering his voice.

"That's not going to happen," he said before he could stop himself. He caught himself and then sighed. "Not that anything is happening."

His uncle raised a wizened eyebrow and then reached for something on the counter behind him. Zuko wasn't surprised when he slammed a newspaper down in front of Zuko. He jabbed a finger at the headline angrily.

"And I suppose_ this _is the nothing you're talking about? This is the nothing that keeps you up at all hours?" Iroh demanded as Zuko picked up the paper. He scanned the headline and the article beneath it, his face a blank mask. "Tell me you're not getting in over your head, Zuko!"

"A masked vigilante has been spotted in the Lower Ring and you think it's me?" Zuko said, forcing a laugh that felt as fake as his lie. He didn't like lying to his uncle, but he'd known it would be necessary at some point. Iroh was too smart to fall for his excuses though, and he'd known it would only be a matter of time before he put the pieces together.

Iroh snatched the paper from him. "They're calling this vigilante the Blue Spirit!"

"Who is?" Zuko asked, lifting a brow.

"The press, I don't know. But now he has a name. Name's have power."

"Power enough to strike fear into the hearts of the criminals in Ba Sing Se?" he said softly, but loudly enough for his uncle to hear.

"You can't solve the problems of this city by going out and punching everything in the face, Zuko. You're going to get yourself killed. What if they find out what you are? _Who_ you are?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Zuko said hotly, slamming a sugar bowl down onto the tray. "I just like to go out. I can't sleep at night. You know that."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Well, maybe I met a girl!"

Iroh's disbelief was downright searing. "If only! You need a girl in your life, Zuko! Someone to distract you from this foolishness! Maybe one who can talk sense into you! It isn't right for a young man of your age not to date!"

Zuko looked up at the ceiling, asking for strength and patience from a higher power that seemed content to ignore his desperate pleas. He and his uncle had had this conversation many times before. Iroh, who enjoyed the company of a bevy of ladies, seemed frustrated by Zuko's apparent lack of interest in the opposite sex.

It wasn't that he wasn't interested—he was. He just didn't know how to talk to women, and whenever he did he just seemed to chase them away. Sometimes he blamed the scar on his face, other times he was sure he was just bad at flirting. It was probably a combination of both.

It didn't matter anyway. What could he offer a woman? He worked in a tea shop frequented by fussy old women, with a studio apartment that's only saving grace was the view of the city from the rusty, rickety fire escape. He had no money, no prospects, and the bad habit of putting on a mask and running around the city looking for trouble. Not to mention his..._complicated_ past.

He wouldn't want to drag a woman into the mess of his life. She'd probably run screaming after one hard look, and he wouldn't blame her.

Still...

"I'll date when I meet the right girl," he told his uncle. "Until then, get off my back about it."

"Hmmmph!" his uncle grumped, jabbing at the paper again. "Knowing you, you'd probably bring home a girl like this Warrior they're talking about now!"

Zuko stopped, eyebrows shooting skyward. "What?"

"You haven't heard? The Blue Spirit has competition! A woman has been seen fighting thugs in the Lower Ring. They say she fights with fans, and paints her face."

Zuko took the paper and scanned the small article his uncle had pointed out. There wasn't much to go on. Just a rumor, and two eyewitnesses that had seen a flash of the woman.

"She's been responsible for four arrests so far," Iroh said, not-quite-disapprovingly, but certainly in a measured, warning tone.

"Sounds like she's doing good work," he said, glancing up at his uncle and then tossing the paper down.

"I just hope she doesn't have a family who worries about her too," Iroh said pointedly. Zuko sighed, grabbed his tray and walked out of the kitchen before his uncle could lecture him some more. He wasn't about to openly admit to what he did all those nights and his uncle knew it.

He spent most of the afternoon serving tea and cakes, and cleaning up between customers, his thoughts lingering on the woman he'd seen the other night running across the rooftops. Who was she, he wondered. Would he run into her again?

It seemed unlikely. Ba Sing Se was a gargantuan city, sprawling out in all directions and choked by layer after layer of impenetrable walls. If he were lucky, this Warrior would keep to herself.

He had to admit he was fascinated though, and he didn't doubt her reasons for taking justice into her own hands. Ba Sing Se's crime rate was as big as the city. The Lower Ring was plagued by theft, murder, rape, drugs, arms dealers and vicious gangs. The Triads in particular had a chokehold on the city.

Zuko's hands tightened on the handle of the mop, anger flooding him as he thought of the Triads. How many poor merchants and shop owners had unwillingly bowed to their tyranny? How many lives had been ruined when the Triad had not received the protection money they'd demanded?

It had to end.

"Zuko? Are you daydreaming? We have another customer!" his uncle called, and he started, turning toward the door. He'd been so long in his thoughts that he hadn't heard the bell over the door chime the woman's arrival; the shop had been empty for the last ten minutes.

The woman had chin-length brown hair, and an athletic build. He recognized her immediately; she usually stopped in every few days for a cup of tea. Sometimes she had friends with her, but usually she came alone. Today she was dressed in work out gear; a pair of tight green yoga pants, a gold tank top with a matching green jacket over top of it, and a pair of running shoes. She had a gym bag in her hands and a distracted expression on her face as she sat down at one of the tables.

Zuko's mouth was inexplicably dry as he propped the mop against the wall and wiped his hands on his apron.

"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon," he asked in what he hoped was a normal voice. When the woman looked up at him, he noted, and not for the first time, how blue her eyes were. "Umm...what can I get you?"

The woman looked up at him, clocking the bruise on his face for a moment. Then she smiled at him and pushed her hair behind her ear. "Hi. Uh... I'll have a cup of wild orange oolong, please. And...what's fresh?"

He glanced behind him at the window, where his uncle was busy glazing buns. "Well, we have some strawberry teacakes with chocolate sauce, and I think the glazed buns are fresh out of the oven now."

"Mmm, I'd love a good hot pair of buns!" she said and he swiveled back around to face her. She seemed to catch herself then, and flushed.

"Don't we all," he blurted, making her laugh. He glowed a little at the sound of her laughter, pulling a smile for the first time in what felt like weeks.

"Oh boy, that's embarrassing," she said, hitting herself in the forehead with the menu. "Ummm... Okay, I'll take your buns. THE BUNS! I meant _the_ buns, not _your _buns! I'm sure your buns are fine! I... That's not what I meant either. I... Kill me now."

Zuko flushed as he wrote down her order. "I'll uh...be right back with your order, miss."

He walked back into the kitchen, glancing back over his shoulder to see her put her hand across her red face. She was grinning though, and as he ducked into the kitchen, he saw her glance slyly in his direction.

Almost immediately, his uncle swooped down on him. "She comes in a lot."

"I guess so," he said as he reached for the tin of oolong. "I've seen her a few times."

"She's pretty."

"Yeah," he agreed, because he didn't like where he knew the conversation was going.

"She was flirting with you!"

His brow furrowed. "No, she wasn't!"

"She flirts with you every time she comes in! You should ask her out on a date tonight, nephew!"

Zuko put down the tea cup with more force than necessary, tossing his uncle an annoyed look. "Uncle, stop. She just wants a cup of tea, not to have some scarred up freak hit on her because she happened to smile at him once or twice! She's being polite, that's all."

Iroh was quiet for a moment and then he said softly, "You're not a freak, Zuko. Your scar-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Zuko said miserably, putting two buns down onto the plate. He put the plate on the tray, grabbed it and walked out of the kitchen, feeling his uncle's disapproval following him like a noxious cloud.

The woman looked up as he walked out of the kitchen door, a smile hitting her lips. At the same time, the door opened with a hard slam and the mad chime of bells. Three men were framed in the doorway, all of them familiar. All of them unwelcome. They walked in as Zuko's temper immediately reached the boiling point. He glared at them as they stood before him, cracking their knuckles menacingly.

"Time to pay the Triad, S_car Face_."


	3. Two

**CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

Zuko slung the tray down in front of the woman, and then put himself between her and the gang members. "What are you doing here?"

"You heard me, ugly," their leader sneered as his larger companions spread out through the shop. "It's time to pony up the Yuans you and that old man owe us for protecting this place."

Zuko saw his uncle come to the kitchen window, his mouth a hard line beneath his iron-gray beard.

"We don't owe you shit," Zuko said in a measured voice. "This is our shop and we don't need protection."

"Sure you do!" the thug said, flashing him a mean smile as he clamped a toothpick between his teeth. "Besides, it's been a week since your last payment and you owe us a cut of your take for the week."

"We didn't pay you last week!"

"Sure you did! Maybe you outta ask your old man?"

Zuko wheeled to face Iroh, who was standing there with a guilty look on his face. Zuko opened his mouth to say something and then thought better of it. He turned back the thug.

"We're not paying you anymore. Effective immediately. Now get the fuck out," Zuko said through his teeth, gaze narrowing on the man.

"You hear that, Donghai? That's just poor customer service!" one of the other henchmen said as he grabbed one of the glazed buns from the tray Zuko had put down. He took a big bite and said through his mouthful, "Ain't gotta be so rude!"

"Why don't you just leave!" the woman piped up behind Zuko. He turned around to face her, meeting her gaze. She didn't look scared. She looked angry.

"Maybe you should go?" he said softly, but she shook her head.

"We ain't leavin'," Donghai said with a smirk. "Not until we get paid. And until then...well... We can't guarantee the protection of this place. Can we boys?"

"No, sir."

"Do it!"

Instantly, Donghai's henchmen started trashing the place, kicking over tables, tossing vases on the floor, smashing chairs and teacups. Zuko moved without thinking, sliding across the floor as he caught hold of one of their big, meaty arms.

His gaze narrowed as the man dropped the teacup in his hands. It shattered on the floor between them.

"You gonna fight me, ugly?"

Zuko answered him with a headbutt, and followed that up with a punch straight to the gut. The thug doubled over and Zuko roundhouse kicked him straight into the wall. He hit and slid down into a heap, but Zuko was already turning, expecting the attack that came at him from behind.

The second henchman was smaller and faster than the other one, and as Zuko blocked strike after strike, he had to admit that the man was a good fighter.

Zuko was better.

He tripped the man up, tangled his arms, and then grappled him to the floor with a bang. He slammed his elbow back into the thug's face as they both hit the floor. Blood gushed immediately and the thug clapped his hand to his face.

The next moment, hands grabbed Zuko by the collar of his shirt, hauling him up off of the floor. Zuko slammed his head backward, but missed the man's face. He tried to get leverage as he was lifted off his feet, but there was none.

"Stop struggling or she gets it!" Donghai called, making Zuko still in his captor's arms. What he saw made his heart stop. Donghai had one arm around the woman and a switchblade to her throat. Her eyes pleaded with him to stop.

"If you hurt her, I swear-"

"Swear what?" Donghai said, pushing his face into her hair. "Ain't nothing you can do about it... This bitch is mine now."

Anger flashed in the woman's face and she pulled a rough grimace. "I don't like that word."

"What are you going to do about it, bitch?"

She slammed her head back into his face, grabbed the knife from his hand and turned his wrist so hard Zuko was surprised it didn't snap. The thug cried out as she rammed her elbow down into his arm. Donghai dropped to the floor and the woman snatched the knife out of his hand.

"That's what I'm going to do about it," she snapped as Donghai scrambled backward, cradling his injured arm.

"That's fucking it, we're gonna burn this fucking place to the ground!" he exclaimed, pointing to his companion, the one whose nose Zuko had bloodied. "Get the fucking gas, Jiyu! And break his fucking neck, Fu! They're gonna find all three of ya dead!"

"You want fire, I'll give you fire!" Zuko growled, biting down on Fu's arm. He cried out and let go of Zuko, who dropped into a stance, gathering his chi. At the same moment, Iroh came out of the kitchen and threw something at Donghai's feet.

"Stop! Zuko, stop!" Iroh shouted, warning in his eyes. "This is everything in the safe, twice what we owe you! Please do not take offense at my nephew. He is young and does not understand. We would be glad to pay you and your bosses to protect us. We will also provide free tea and buns to any of your men that come in. My sincerest apologies!"

Donghai held up his hand to the others, and they stopped in mid-reach for Zuko. The woman was looking mutinous, as if she'd like to hit Donghai again.

"What are you doing, Uncle?"

"Shut up, Zuko," Iroh snapped at him, his eyes brooking no argument. "You have done enough today!"

Donghai picked up the bag of money and sifted through it. He seemed to think for a moment, as he sucked on one of his rotten teeth. He let a peaceful grin cross his face. "Look, I'm not a bad guy. The Triad provides a valuable service to the community and it would be a shame to see this place burn down to the fucking ground when we could be extractin' money from it every week. We'll take your kind offering, and next week we'll take the same amount, for our pain and sufferin', you understand?"

"Completely," Iroh said with an edge in his voice.

"We can renegotiate the price after that," Donghai said, and gestured to his friends, who pushed past Zuko with a bang of their shoulders. The woman backed up a little, as they leered down at her in passing. "You know, you really gotta teach your nephew some manners. He keeps tryin' to play with the big dogs and he's gonna get hurt. Might even get dead."

"He won't be a problem any longer," Iroh promised.

"See that he isn't," Donghai said as he passed the bag of money to Jiyu. He straightened his collar and looked around the shop. He gestured to the destruction with a wave of his hand. "You really gotta clean this place up. It's bad for business."

"You got what you wanted, now leave," Zuko snapped as Iroh glared at him.

"You heard him," the woman said, in just as icy a voice.

Donghai turned his attention on her and the look he shot her was leering, full of bad intentions. It put Zuko's hackles up, and it seemed to do the same to her. "That's my knife."

"You want it back? Fine," she said, and threw it at him. It sailed past his face, close enough to shave him, and landed point first in the door frame behind him, where it quivered in place. Donghai jumped, and then sneered at her.

"I'll be seeing _you_ around, sweetheart."

"Can't wait," she snapped.

Donghai lifted an eyebrow and then gestured to his friends. "Let's go, boys. The stink of this place is starting to get to me. See you next week, Scar Face."

The minute they were gone, Zuko lowered his head, feeling impotent rage come over him. "Why did you do that, Uncle? Why did you pay them?"

"They would have killed us, Zuko. You know that as well as I. Remember what happened to the cobbler two streets over?"

"They killed him and his whole family in that fire," the woman said softly. Iroh looked at her and nodded.

"It is better to be a willow tree and bend to the wind, than to be a mighty oak and break in the storm," his uncle said grimly. He met Zuko's angry gaze, a sad expression on his lined face. Then he turned away and walked back into the kitchen, leaving Zuko and the woman alone.

He sighed and looked at the mess, feeling sick to his stomach as anger and frustration mounted in him. He bent to pick up the shards of broken china and was surprised when the woman did the same. She smiled shyly at him as she picked up the delicate shards, placing them carefully into her palm.

"I'm sorry you got caught up in all that," he said after a moment.

"It's okay. You told me to run and I didn't listen. I'm kind of stubborn like that," she said wryly.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No. It was so stupid, I was watching you fight and I let him get the drop on me. It was my fault he grabbed me."

"No, no, I shouldn't have fought them."

"Yes, you should have," she said sharply, catching his gaze. She flicked her eyes toward the kitchen and then back at him. "I think it was really brave. The Triads have a chokehold on the city. They do whatever they want. Even the police are afraid of them. It's time someone stood up to them."

_If you only knew,_ he thought grimly.

"I didn't do a very good job," he said as he stood. She followed, cradling the broken china in her hands.

"I still think it was brave," she said with a shrug.

"Thanks," he said as he went and retrieved the trash can. He tipped his pieces into the bin and she followed, wiping her hands down her green jacket. "Umm...where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Oh, I teach self-defense at a dojo around the corner. The Kyoshi Dojo?"

"Yeah, I know the one," he said, picturing the green and gold painted building. She grinned and stuck out her hand.

"I'm Suki, by the way."

"Zuko!" he said, awkwardly shaking her hand.

"I know, it's...it's on your name tag," she said, pointing to the name tag pinned to the front of his apron. He looked down at it and then back up at her.

"Right..." he said lamely. "So, umm... Sorry about your oolong. I'll go make you another cup. It's on the house."

She brightened at that, but then stopped and glanced at her watch. "I'll have to take a rain check on that. I'm going to be late for my class."

"Right. Uh, next time?"

Her smile was shy as she picked up her gym bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Next time," she agreed and headed toward the door. He stepped forward though.

"Uh, do you need me to walk you to the dojo? Those guys might be waiting on you."

"Gallant, but I can take care of myself. I'm not afraid of them."

"Still..."

"I'll be fine. I'll see you later."

"Later."

"Remember, you owe me some of those hot buns of yours," she said cheekily, and then ducked out of the door, leaving him standing alone amid the broken china and overturned furniture. He felt heat flush his face and then stopped himself, shaking his head.

"I told you she was flirting with you," his uncle said through the kitchen window, and Zuko immediately turned on him.

"How could you do it, Uncle? How could you stand to bend to them?" he demanded. "And don't try to sell me any of your proverbs!"

"Because, it's only a matter of time before you get into trouble with the Triads, running around with that mask on like you think I don't know about."

He pressed his lips together, his jaw working. "I don't-"

"And you nearly gave us away, firebending like that!"

"I didn't firebend-"

"You nearly did. If they know a firebender is in the city, and they see this Blue Spirit firebending, then they're going to put two and two together and come after us! If they found out who you were..."

"Uncle-"

"I can't stop you from doing what you're doing, so all I can say is, if you take these men on, be careful."

The surprise showed on Zuko's face and he met his uncle's gaze for a long moment. Iroh's eyes were deadly serious, full of concern, but resolve too.

Zuko nodded gravely at him. Iroh nodded back and then turned away, busying himself in the kitchen. Zuko sighed and grabbed the broom, plans already forming in his head.


	4. Three

**CHAPTER THREE**

* * *

Some people didn't like the smell of the dojo, redolent with the odors of hard work, grit, sweat, tears, rubber mats, metal and moxie, but Suki loved it. It hit her as she entered and she breathed in, a sense of home hitting her in the gut. It was a welcome relief after the fight in the Jasmine Dragon.

Hatred seethed in her. The Triads were nothing but big bullies, extorting people who barely had enough money to keep their shops open, let alone pay thugs for protection. Protection that only protected them from the Triads themselves. It made her sick. It made her angry.

It was just another symptom of the sickness that had taken over the city too corrupt to protect its citizens. People starved in the streets, died of disease and drug and drink in the gutters, while the rich got richer. People went missing all of the time and the police didn't seem to care.

Bitterness welled in her mouth as she walked through the gym and into the changing room. She stuffed her bag into the locker and sat down to take off her shoes.

As she did, her stomach rumbled. The sound of it amused her a bit and she thought wryly of the glazed buns she'd nearly eaten for lunch. Heat suffused her face as she thought of the way the guy at the shop—Zuko—had smiled at her, and the way he'd stood up to the Triads. She bit down on her lip, a bit ashamed that she had let that thug get the drop on her. She'd just been so swept up in watching him fight. He'd had a grace about him, a certain finesse that fascinated her.

Still, that was no excuse.

_If I let that happen while out on a patrol... I might as well sign my suicide note_, she thought grimly, stashing her shoes in her locker. She took off her jacket and stuffed it in just as a bouncy brunette practically skipped into the room, her long braid swinging like a rope.

"Hi there, stranger!" Ty Lee said brightly as she took off her pink jacket and put it in her locker. "Fancy meeting you here. I thought for sure you'd still be asleep since you didn't get in until dawn!"

Suki tilted her head back, regarding her roommate and fellow instructor with a raised eyebrow. "I...had a late night."

"You've had a late night every night for the past month, Sukes," Ty Lee said, leaning against her locker and crossing her arms over her chest. "And whenever I ask what you're doing, you avoid the subject."

"I do not!"

"Then what have you been doing?"

"Nothing!" she said, slamming her locker door shut and heading into the dojo. She stretched her shoulders, trying to work out the kinks and the soreness from her muscles. Ty Lee followed her like a particularly bad rash, her lips pursed, her doe-like hazel eyes all-too-knowing.

"You're deflecting again!" she said in a sing-song voice.

"I'm not deflecting! It's just... I haven't been doing anything!" she said lamely, her mind rifling through a litany of excuses that might work on her annoyingly persistent, but caring, best friend.

"Yeah, okay. What's his name?"

Suki whirled on her, her mouth falling open. "What? There's no... It's not a guy! There's no guy!"

"Right, sure there's not. You only pack a bag every evening, stay out all night and come home before dawn and immediately take a shower, as if the sound of it going doesn't wake me up. You also have a hickey on your neck!" Ty Lee said, wagging her finger at Suki's neck with a smug expression on her face. Suki immediately clapped her hand over her neck, her face glowing bright red again.

"It's not a hickey. It's a...cut..." she mumbled.

"Nick yourself shaving?" Ty Lee asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ha ha ha, no. I... It's nothing, I was practicing with the fans and it just happened. It's nothing," she lied.

"Okay, that sounds _fake_, but okay," Ty Lee said, flipping over backward and landing in a handstand. The woman made it look effortless. "You know you can just tell me you have a secret boyfriend. I won't judge. Unless it's that guy with the hump who sells fruit by the monorail station. I might be a little judge-y about that. Oh, no, it's not Humpy, is it? Suki, tell me it's not Humpy!"

A laugh left her, but she quickly stifled it, as Ty Lee landed on her feet again. "It's not Humpy! It's just... It's..."

"Is it that cute guy at that tea shop we went to last week? The one with the dark hair and that scar? You couldn't keep your eyes off of him! And he was definitely flirting with you, I could tell."

"WHAT? NO!" she squeaked. "No, he wasn't!"

Ty Lee's delight at her response was almost indecent. "It IS him! Wow, I didn't think he had it in him. He seems so shy! What's he like? Is he good in bed?"

"I'm not sleeping with him! We're not together. I don't even know Zuko!"

"YOU KNOW HIS NAME!" Ty Lee shrieked, jumping up and down in glee.

Suki stopped, realizing how deep she was digging her hole. Maybe it _was_ better if Ty Lee thought she was having an affair. It was better if she didn't know what she'd been out doing the last few weeks anyway. Ty Lee would flip her lid if she knew the truth.

_Can you really blame her? Running around all night with paint on __your__ face looking for a fight isn't exactly the sanest thing you've ever done_, she admonished herself.

"Look, Ty Lee..." she started, trying to the find the words. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"So you admit there's a guy!"

"Well... Umm, something like that," she said, thinking of the mugger the night before, and the one before that. _Several men, actually..._

"Don't play mysterious with me, missy! I'm going to find out what you're hiding!" Ty Lee said just as the door of the dojo opened, letting in the first trickle of her students, a gaggle of teenage girls who had been taking her self-defense course the last few weeks. They spoke in loud, laughing voices that drowned out everything else.

Ty Lee sent her a look that told her she'd earned a reprieve from questions, but she knew that she hadn't dropped the subject. Once there was juicy gossip to be had, Ty Lee was a shark, sniffing out prey and then devouring every inch of it with gusto. She was going to have to think of a good lie that didn't involve her secretly sleeping with the guy from the tea shop.

Not that the idea of sleeping with him was objectionable. She had to admit that she'd taken notice him before today. Clearly Ty Lee had noticed her noticing him too. She felt a tiny flutter in her stomach at the thought of the heat in his topaz eyes, the soft sound of his voice and the bruise on his cheek. She wondered how he'd gotten it. She wondered, too, about the scar on his face.

She shook her head, walking over the mirrored wall that ran the length of the dojo. She caught sight of the cut on her neck and grimaced. It had been a close one the night before. The mugger had been an Earthbender, who had tossed half a wall at her. She'd been lucky all she'd gotten was a nick on her neck. He might have broken it instead, and then who would be left to fight the corruption of the city?

The Blue Spirit, maybe, whoever he was. He'd been making life difficult in the Lower Ring for criminals for months now. No one was sure if he was a myth or reality, but the papers and the gossip-minded didn't seem to care one way or another. Citizens from every corner of the sprawling city had taken hold of the idea of a masked vigilante guarding over them where the police either couldn't or wouldn't. It gave them hope.

It had given her hope too, hope she had desperately needed after losing not one, but two of her friends to the dark designs of the city's underbelly.

She stretched at the bar, loosening up her muscles and trying to keep her mind off of her late night activities, but her new found obsession was never far from her mind these days. It was hard to think of anything else, especially when so many women had gone missing.

Months ago, her friend Qing had disappeared from her apartment. There had been signs of a struggle, but the police hadn't found a trace of her abductors. Missing signs had adorned the street corners for months and faded into memories under the hot summer sun. There were no leads. Qing was just gone, leaving behind nothing but fear and questions for her friends and family.

A month after Qing had disappeared, Suki and Ty Lee's neighbor Aya had gone missing. Her boyfriend had reported her disappearance and suspicion had immediately landed on him. Suki hadn't believed the police's assertion that Jo-Sung had been responsible though; she'd known them both for years and Jo-Sung had been devastated by Aya's disappearance to the point of attempting suicide when the police had called off the search because they didn't have enough evidence of foul play to continue their investigation.

Qing and Aya weren't the only women and young girls to go missing in Ba Sing Se in the past year though. The streets were covered in missing posters, people passing out fliers and lot of unanswered questions.

No bodies had shown up either, leading Suki to believe that it wasn't a serial killer, or even a series of random killers. No, whoever was taking the women of Ba Sing Se, they were taking them for a reason. She feared what might be happening to them instead.

The police weren't doing anything about it. _Someone_ had to...

_And why not me? s_he thought savagely, shaking out her limbs as more of her students filed into the dojo. As a group of them passed her, their hushed conversation caught her attention.

"Did you hear about Jin? The girl with the ponytail who always stands in the back of the class?"

"No, what's going on?"

"I heard she didn't come home last night."

"Excuse me, what was that?" Suki asked, her heart racing. "Did you say Jin's gone missing?"

Her students turned around, both of them looking worried and curious. The shorter of the two looked particularly distraught. "Yeah. Her mother's worried sick about her. She called the police, but they don't have any leads."

"Do you know what happened?" Suki prompted. She knew Jin well and had expected to have in her class this afternoon. She was a quiet girl, sweet but determined to learn how to protect herself. What she lacked in skill, she made up for in her determination. Teaching her for the past few weeks had been a rewarding experience for Suki, and she'd had hopes that once the course was over Jin would be fully capable of protecting herself from the rougher elements of a city bound and determined to chew young girls up and spit them out.

"Well, I heard it from my older brother, who heard it from Jin's cousin. Apparently, she got off work at that little market over on Cherry Blossom Avenue, you know the one? Well, after that she just disappeared. No one's seen her since. She's just gone!"

"You don't think she ran away, do you?"

"I don't know."

"That's the third girl to go missing this month," Suki's other student said, shifting uncomfortably. "I like Jin, she's quiet, but nice. I accidentally punched her boob once when we were sparring and she just laughed it off. I hope she's okay."

"Me too. I'm sure the police are doing their best," Suki lied, biting down on her lower lip as she patted the girl on the shoulder. She was trying to be comforting, but she had a feeling it just came out as distracted.

"Just like they did for all those other girls," one of them snorted and then walked away. Suki stared after them, and then looked at the rest of her students.

She felt a sick sinking sensation in her stomach, a sort of all over body chill that encased her as she thought of Jin's fate. She didn't have a lot of hope though. She had learned a long time ago that when people went missing in Ba Sing Se, they never came back. Anger hit her as she thought of Jin's sweet face and self-deprecating smile.

It was just like Qing and Aya.

Her anger redoubled, along with a fierce protectiveness that overwhelmed her in its intensity. She wouldn't—_couldn't_—allow any of them to get hurt. She had to find a way to protect them and she knew that the only way to do that was to find the people responsible for the disappearances.

Suki glanced into the mirror and saw the anger reflected in her eyes. A small smile caught hold of her lips, full of brutal resolve.

She was going to make these bastards pay.


	5. Four

**CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

Sirens cut the night like a lashing whip, the sound reverberating across the rooftops. Zuko breathed out beneath the mask, his breath steaming in the chill air. He ignored the sirens though. There was no use chasing phantoms when there were bigger, badder, meaner demons lurking in the dark corners of the city, waiting to devour anyone that stumbled into their maws.

Sometimes those demons came from the shadows to hunt and play though, and that's what he was waiting for. It was only a matter of time before they showed themselves.

He was going to make them regret it.

His fingers tightened on the edge of the brown-tiled roof of the building he was perched on, staring past the flashing red neon sign and down into the street below. His gaze never wavered from the unassuming entrance to the Triad's favorite nightspot, its peeling and faded sign giving nothing away as to the nature of its contents or inhabitants.

He knew better though. He'd been stalking Donghai and his thugs for the past several nights, as they made their rounds, collecting money from the citizens of Ba Sing Se in between alcohol and drug-fueled shenanigans at the local bars and clubs. Wherever they went, people cowered in fear. He'd spent the whole time searching for a chink in their armor, a vulnerable point he could exploit, a weakness he could attack.

He smiled beneath the mask, watching, as if on cue, as Donghai and his friends pulled up in front of the club in a sleek black car. They all piled out, laughing and drinking, flashing money at the bouncer who opened the door and let them in without a word. Music spilled out into the street for a moment, and then cut off as the door closed again.

Zuko stood from his cramped crouch behind the sign. He climbed up on the steel girders supporting it, feeling his anger redoubling. A single burst of fire from his fists and feet sent him blasting off of the roof and into the air. He tumbled end over end over the street, aiming for the rooftops on the opposite side of the street.

He used another blast of fire to slow his descent, tucking and rolling as he landed. He came to a stop on one knee, his head coming up. He stilled, waiting to see if anyone had noticed, but the night sounds were normal. Or at least as normal as they got in the Lower Ring.

He could hear the _thump-thump_ of the music from inside the club as he slowly slinked along the rooftop toward an access hatch. It was locked, as expected, but he drew one of his dual dao swords and pried open the lock with the tip.

The latch opened with a rusty squeak and he lowered his masked face into the hole, finding himself looking down a metal ladder set against a plaster wall. The music of the club poured out and he saw shapes beneath him, people dancing. Below the ladder was a metal catwalk that ran the length of the club. Zuko flipped over the lip of the hatch and dropped silently down onto the catwalk.

The shadows were long here, the pulsing of the lights set along metal girders just beneath the catwalk enough to hide his entrance. He crept along the catwalk and perched himself in the corner, searching the crowd for Donghai and his men.

The club was full of the exact type of clientele you might expect from a club of such seedy quality. Zuko watched the crowd, scanning for a flash of black suit, the Triad's trademark. He saw plenty of crime down there, that was for sure. He watched a drug deal go down, two sex acts that weren't as well-hidden as the participants might have believed, especially from twenty feet above their heads, and a fight break out on the dance floor, where the dancers seethed to the music in a roiling clump of moving bodies and rhythmic beats.

It was the exact kind of place he'd never have found himself in normally, but he wasn't there for the atmosphere. He was there for revenge.

He didn't have to wait long for it. He spotted the Triad at the bar, holding court over a bevy of women and more of their Triad friends. He recognized some of them by sight. The others were wearing the black suits and gold shirts that signified their status as members of the gang.

Donghai flashed a wad of cash, paying for drinks and stuffing Yuans down the cleavages of the women crowding around. Zuko's lip curled beneath his mask. How many people's lives had been ruined for that stack of money alone, and Donghai was spending it on drugs and women. It was enough to make him sick.

He watched in mute rage as the man picked out the prettiest girl in the bunch and dragged her into one of the private rooms in the back as she giggled fakely, leaving Zuko staring after them as they shut the door.

Time to go to work.

Zuko swung himself over the railing, dropping down on top of an abandoned table in the corner. He vaulted off it and hit the floor running, weaving through the crowd with the ease of a dancer. A few people saw his mask and moved out of his way, exclaiming in fear. He could feel that fear rippling through the crowd and wrapped it around himself like a cloak.

Good. He wanted them to be afraid.

When he kicked in the door and vaulted through it, pulling his swords with a fluid motion, he opened his mouth, all of his well-thought out intimidations dying on his tongue the moment the door closed behind him. He blinked behind his mask at the sight of Donghai, bleeding from a split lip, pinned to the wall by a pair of throwing daggers, his date cowering on the filthy-looking couch.

And in between Donghai and Zuko was a lithe women dressed in browns, greens and golds. She had a white-painted face, red lips, red rimmed eyes and a bladed gold fan in each of her gloved hands. She looked otherworldly, dangerous and out for blood as she immediately turned on him, brandishing the blade of her fan as he stopped mid-step, staring at her in shock.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE?" she snarled at him.

"I'm...uhhh..."

_In deep shit._

* * *

It had taken her a few nights of listening outside of windows and following people to get any kind of a lead on the disappearance of the women in Ba Sing Se, but she'd finally gotten something. It wasn't much, but it was _something._

The night Jin had been taken, a woman walking her dog her had seen the girl walking home from work. There had been a man following some ways back, a man in a black suit with a gold shirt.

Black suits weren't out of the ordinary in Ba Sing Se, but only a certain portion of them paired it with a gold shirt as a matter of course.

That tip had lead her straight to the Triads. She felt a nasty sort of non-surprise to find that the Triads might be involved with the disappearances. It made sense. The Triads had their hand in every type of organized crime in the city, and everyone knew that they ran an illegal trade route out of the city, smuggling in drugs, cheap liquor and other items for anyone willing to pay dearly for them.

They could easily smuggle the girls out of the city, if it came to that.

It didn't take her long to find the Triad's favorite nightclub. She'd recognized Donghai from the attack at the Jasmine Dragon, and felt a smug sort of satisfaction at the idea of taking him down once and for all.

Infiltrating the place had proven a little more difficult, but she'd managed it through a little thing called intimidation. She'd had to make a few threats to the bartender's life. After that it had just been a waiting game. Apparently Donghai was a creature of habit in all aspects of his life. He liked partying in the private room of the club every night at midnight, he liked a bump, cheap rice whiskey by the bottle and the prettiest dancer available. It was like clockwork.

The moment Donghai entered the room, giggling and groping the dancer, who looked about as into it as a root canal patient, Suki grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and tossed him against the wall. He shouted in surprise and then screamed for help from his henchman on the other side of the door, but the music in the club drowned it out.

Suki tossed two daggers, pinning him to the wall before grabbing the dancer's arm and shoving her down onto the stained couch with a sharp command not to move or scream. The woman cringed, looking far older than she'd first appeared a moment ago, aging years with her fear. She started crying, cowering in the corner of the couch.

Suki felt badly about that, but there was nothing for it.

"Who the fuck are you, you crazy bitch?! When I get free, I'm gonna tear your fucking head off of your shoulders and-"

Suki pulled the fans off of her belt and flipped them open menacingly. "Shut up or I'll cut off something you love."

She moved the fan in her hand downward, and made a cutting gesture over Donghai's crotch. He whimpered and struggled to get free of the daggers pinning him to the wall.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Tell me what I want to know and I'll let you walk out of here with both of your balls. Lie to me and I'll take them both one at a time," she said through her teeth as the blood drained out of Donghai's face.

"Who the fuck are you?"

She ignored his question and pressed on, knowing she didn't have long. His men could burst through the door at any minute. "What do you know about the Triad and the women that have gone missing from the Lower Ring?"

Her question seemed to shock him, and he stopped digging into his pocket, for, she assumed, the switchblade he'd threatened her with at the Jasmine Dragon. "What...what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, I know how high up you are. It's not your racket, but you know who's responsible for taking the girls. What are they doing with them and who are they? ANSWER ME!"

"I...I don't know! I..."

She felt rather than heard the door behind her slamming open under a hard blow. The next instant, a black-clad figure came through the door. She expected it to be one of Donghai's henchman and swung around to face the intruder, readying herself for a fight.

When she came face to face with a demonic blue mask, she was surprised, to say the least. She swung her fan at his throat, recovering quickly in the face of this new, unknown threat. In the span of two seconds, she noted the twin blades in his hands, and the lean muscularity of his body. This was no muscle-bound henchman who terrified through sheer brute strength.

Whoever this masked man was, he was a trained fighter. An assassin. And an _enemy._

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE?" she snarled at him, and was surprised by the initial stuttered response.

"I'm...uhh..." he started, but then seemed to recover his wits. He dropped into a lower stance, his voice dropping a register as well. "That's my target you're threatening."

Suki lifted one black-painted eyebrow at that. "Oh, really? _Your_ target? You expect me to believe that?"

"I know you! You're that vigilante the papers have been talking about! The Blue whats-it... The Blue Spirit!" Donghai said, his lips twisting. She noted that he had produced his switchblade. She moved to the side, keeping both the Blue Spirit and the Triad in her sights. "I thought you'd be bigger."

"_Shut up_," Suki and the Blue Spirit snapped at him at the same time. She glanced back at him, meeting the dark eyes of the mask. She recognized him now, though she'd never seen him before. Who else would be wearing a mask and brandishing swords in the den of a known criminal, except the legendary Blue Spirit?

"Who are you?" the Blue Spirit asked her, carefully adjusting his grip on his swords. Something about the way he held them made her think the dual dao swords were not his weapon of choice. He was undoubtedly good with them, she could tell by the way he moved, but she had an instinct about her fellow fighters. This man had hidden talents.

Also, judging by the tone in his voice, the man knew exactly who she was as well. The papers had been calling her the Warrior since she'd foolishly let people catch glimpses of her. It was a name that fit as well as any she might have chosen for herself, if it had occurred to her to name herself. She didn't owe him her name though.

She didn't owe anyone anything. She turned her attention back on Donghai.

"I'm vengeance and I've come for answers and I'm not leaving here until I get them. Where are the Triads keeping the girls they've been abducting. TELL ME, DONGHAI OR I'LL START SLICING THINGS OFF!"

"Fuck you, bitch!" Donghai said, spitting on the floor. Then he turned the switchblade in his hands, slicing the fabric of his jacket open and freeing himself. "You want answers? I got your fucking answers right here!"

Then he jammed two fingers into his mouth and whistled incredibly loudly, the sound piercing over the steady thump of the music.

Suki's eyes narrowed, as almost immediately the door burst open again. The Blue Spirit spun, brandishing his swords at the newcomers. Suki spun on Donghai, her shoulders butting against the Blue Spirit's as they came together back to back.

Whoever he was, she was going to kill him. If the Triads didn't kill them both first.


	6. Five

**CHAPTER FIVE**

* * *

"Kill them, boys!" Donghai commanded as four Triads poured into the room, assessed the incongruous threat of two weapon-wielding vigilantes threatening their boss in two seconds, and then attacked.

There wasn't any time to think, only react. Suki twisted away from the Blue Spirit, slicing her fan at Donghai's ugly face and just missing him by an inch. Donghai swiped at her with his knife in a fancy pattern that she avoided easily. He was all flash, no substance, she realized. That was why he needed big, mean friends.

She feinted in toward his face with the fan again and he went right. As he did, she brought her other arm around and punched him in the face. He cried out and turned on her, jabbing the knife at her face. She got her fan up in time to block the stab. She brought her boot down on his instep and as he danced backward, she slipped beneath his arm and delivered a devastating uppercut that snapped his head back.

Donghai hit the couch, totally unconscious. His terrified date screamed wildly and scrambled away from his body and into the corner. Suki didn't stop to watch her. She'd been aware, in the few seconds her fight with Donghai had taken, that the Blue Spirit had taken on the four Triads who had poured through the door and as she spun in that direction she just avoided getting plowed down by one of the thugs that had been kicked in her way.

She turned her shoulder, getting it up beneath the man as he slammed against her. She used his own momentum to launch him against the wall. He hit so hard that the plaster cracked, bits of brick showing through the holes. He fell on the couch on top of Donghai's unconscious body, rolled off and lurched drunkenly to his feet.

He had a mean-looking face, full of rotten teeth, a pencil mustache and a bowl-haircut that did no favors to a face that looked as lumpy as a meatloaf. He spat blood on the floor, his gaze narrowing on her in the small room. He swayed a little and seemed to have trouble focusing.

She heard the ring of steel on steel behind her and glanced at the Blue Spirit out of the corner of her eye, just in time to see him knock one of the thugs out with the pommel of his right sword. The thug slumped to the floor as the vigilante moved in to take on his next opponent with a tiger's grace, all deadly power. He ducked the slice of the thug's katana, countering with a spinning move of his own that moved him in a circle.

He was good, she noted. Damn good.

She shook her head, focusing on the slightly punch-drunk thug in front of her, realizing with a start that she had been staring, caught up in watching the Blue Spirit fight.

She was getting really bad about that.

"You're fucking with the wrong people, little girl," the big ugly thug sneered at her. "Come here and I'll make it quick, bitch."

"Your first mistake was coming in here. Your second one was calling me a bitch."

"Huh?" he said, his nose wrinkling.

She launched herself at him, slicing at his face with the edge of the fan. It opened a long cut across his forehead, blood immediately flooding into his eyes. He cried out and clamped his hands to his face as she put one booted foot on his knee, put her arms around his neck and swung around onto his back.

He swayed backward, trying to buck her off. She gritted her teeth and found the pressure point in his shoulder. He cried out again and his whole body went limp beneath her, the tension running out of him.

She rode him down to the ground and they landed in a heap with her astride his back. She grabbed his dark hair and pulled his head off of the floor.

"You're right, that was pretty quick," she said and rammed his face back into the floor. She closed her fan and thumped him on the back of the skull, knocking him unconscious.

"Watch out!" the Blue Spirit said, his blades locked with the other swordsman's. Suki's head went up and she was just aware of the movement behind her.

A hand caught hold of her hair, dragging her backward off of the big thug.

"This is twice this fuckin' week I've had to deal with upstartin' bitches and I'm gettin' real sick of it," Donghai choked out through the blood in his mouth. He was slurring his speech a little and she guessed that she'd given him a concussion. She was amazed he'd regained consciousness. He pulled her head back. "I'd slit your fuckin' throat but I know someone who'd pay good money for a feisty girl like you. You wanna know where all the pretty girls go? I'll show you, bitch. Hell, I'll buy you myself. What do you say? Wanna be my toy?"

"I'd rather have my throat slit," she said, glancing at the Blue Spirit, who finally got the upper hand on the swordsman, stabbing him through the shoulder. The swordsman lost his hold on his katana. He flipped him to the floor, and kicked him in the face so hard the wall was splashed with blood.

"Let her go!" the Blue Spirit commanded, the swords in his hands dripping with blood. She could see that he hadn't made it through his fight unscathed. He was bleeding from a gushing slice in his shoulder, the black material of his form-fitting clothing showing ragged red flesh beneath.

"You'll beg me for it when I'm through with you," Donghai said against her ear, as a shudder of revulsion coursed down her skin.

_Enough of this, _she thought as she flicked open her fans and sliced them back behind her head. She heard Donghai screech in pain, felt blood gush against her as she twisted in place, laying flat and rolling out from beneath him. The Triad yowled, clutching the ears she's nearly sliced off. Suki kicked him across the face as the Blue Spirit launched forward and grabbed her by the hand.

He pulled her to her feet before she could protest.

"Come on, they'll have friends soon," he said beneath his expressionless mask. "Unless you want to stay and get killed?"

"I think I've had enough of this party, personally," she replied and spun, kicking Donghai into the wall. He dropped his hands from his dangling ears, slumping forward. She glanced at the others, but they were out cold. Then she turned to the whimpering dancer in the corner. "When they wake up, tell them to watch their back. I'm coming for them."

The woman nodded, tears making her makeup run in black rivers. Sympathy went out to her, but the Blue Spirit grasped her arm and tugged her toward the door.

They were out of the little room and into the club in a flash. There were other Triads pouring into the club and as she glanced at the bartender that she'd threatened earlier, she realized that they had turned on her again. She almost couldn't blame him.

"This way," the Blue Spirits barked, seeing the black-suited gang members pouring into the club. He caught her around the waist, pushing her into the sea of dancers. She tried to shove him off of her, but the seething mass of dancers didn't allow for much air between them. Someone shoved her up against him and she glanced up, startled at his sudden nearness.

His mask was blank, nothing but shadows to be seen through his eye holes. He looked away, shouldering past someone as she followed in his wake.

"THERE THEY ARE!"

"Shit," she said, pushing on his shoulder. "Go! We've been spotted!"

He pulled her along, faster, roughly shoving people of their way until they spilled off of the dance floor and wound up in a corner.

"Where the hell?" she started, but he pointed a finger upward and swung himself up a ladder she hadn't noticed. She glanced back at the Triads, who were shoving their way through the crowd toward them. Immediately, she swung herself up the ladder, following him a breakneck pace. At the top of the ladder was a catwalk, and another ladder. He was already climbing it and through the roof hatch when she started climbing.

He held out his hand to her, but she knocked it aside with annoyance, reaching for the lip of the hatch. At the same moment, a piece of rock came slamming her way, pelting her in the back and nearly making her lose her grip on the ladder.

"Get her!"

The Blue Spirit grabbed her arm and yanked her up out of the hatch with a hard wrench, just as more bricks came swinging her way. He closed the hatch as she landed in a roll.

"We need to go!" he said, and she didn't disagree with him. Together they took off across the rooftops, running side-by-side, leaping from one building to the next for what felt like hours. She glanced at him, annoyed, but also intrigued.

Who the hell was this guy? And what had his interruption cost her?

"Alright, I think we're safe," the Warrior said, skidding to a halt, her boots sliding in the loose gravel on top of the roof. He stopped too, breathing hard beneath his mask as adrenaline coursed through him. He bent a little, catching his breath and feeling blood flowing down his shoulder from the sword that had glanced him during the fight.

_Stupid mistake, _he chided himself.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said shortly, rounding on him in anger. "You nearly got us both killed! What were you doing bursting in there like that? I had him and you ruined it!"

"Me? What were you doing in there?"he shot at her as he slid his swords back into the sheath on his back. He clutched at his bleeding arm, glaring at her through the eye holes of his mask. "The Triads are dangerous, you could have been killed."

"I know what I'm doing," she replied angrily. "I'm not the one who burst into a room through the front door in full sight of Donghai's thugs! You're lucky they didn't spot you from the start. What were you thinking? You idiot!"

She shoved him in the chest, knocking him back a few steps.

Zuko stopped, feeling embarrassment flood him, his ears glowing hot and red as her words sunk in.

"Okay, it wasn't the best plan, admittedly, but..."

"But nothing. You ruined my lead! Now the Triad is going to know I'm after them, that I know they're taking the girls. Thanks a lot," the Warrior said, her red lips twisting.

"Wait, what? Why were you there?"

"Why were _you_ there?" she countered.

"The Triads have been robbing shopkeepers for protection money. I was going to threaten-"

A sarcastic, bitter laugh left her at that. "Threaten? The Triad doesn't take threats lightly. They listen to money and violence, in that order. You want to get the Triads to stop squeezing the merchants? Take down the Triads completely. There are a thousand Donghai's in this city. Even if you'd scared him straight tonight, another jerk would have taken his place before sunrise."

"I know."

"Then why?"

"BECAUSE I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING! _SOMEONE_ HAS TO DO SOMETHING! I CAN'T JUST SIT BACK AND WATCH AS THEY BURN ANOTHER FAMILY OUT OF THEIR HOME! I WON'T!" he burst out and her mouth slowly closed, a pained expression in her eyes.

She nodded, dropping her gaze. An uncomfortable silence passed between them as the city screamed around them, alive with sirens and dark secrets and even darker sins.

"Is that why you put on the mask?"

"Maybe I'm just tired of watching this city sink farther and farther into Hell."

"Who _are_ you?" she asked, trying to peer through the eyes of his mask, but he knew that the shadows were too deep to give anything away.

"No one," he said in a soft voice. "And what made you put on that paint?"

"Girls keep going missing. No bodies, the police aren't doing anything about it. I thought someone should. And why not me?"

"You're going to get yourself killed, taking on the Triad. You heard Donghai. If they catch you, they'll do to you what they've been doing to those girls."

"But they won't catch me. I'm going to take them down, one by one if I have to. I'm going to find the people responsible. Every single one."

"You'll kill them?"

"If I have to."

The Blue Spirit nodded and then started toward her, but she backed up a step. "I want to help."

"I don't need your help. I need you to stay the hell out of my way. Stick to muggers and bank robbers and petty crimes. This is over your head."

"Warrior..." he started.

"Just stay away from me! This city is big enough for the both of us. Stay in your lane, little boy," she warned and then she was off, running across the rooftops with a flash of gold fans and white face.

Zuko watched her go, a burning knot in his stomach. He'd messed up tonight, but her words had echoed through his soul.

He had a feeling they would see each other again.


	7. Six

**CHAPTER SIX**

* * *

SLAM. SLAM. SLAM.

His wrapped fists pounded the punching bag over and over again. Sweat poured down his face and his bare back as his muscles sang and stretched. He danced in place, landing blow after blow until he was lost in the rhythm of the action, the vibrations in his arms, the exertion. His breath came in short gusts as he carefully breathed in and out.

He couldn't stop thinking about her.

The Warrior.

_Stay in your lane, little boy._

SLAM!

His fist dented the sand-filled punching bag again and again, a hot anger flooding beneath his skin. He thought of the Triad, and Donghai, how close he'd come to ruining everything. He'd made a mistake, nearly a fatal one.

The Warrior had saved him. He knew it, and that made his anger redouble. He hated owing anyone anything, not even someone he'd respected from afar.

Whoever she was, the Warrior was not his problem. And yet...

There had been something about her. Something about the way she moved... He couldn't put his finger on what was so familiar about her. He just felt like he knew her. But how?

It didn't matter anyway. She'd certainly made her opinion of him known. Her derision had been searing, and she'd told him to stay away from her.

Sparks started flying from his fists, his face contorted with rage and concentration.

_Stay in your lane, little boy._

Zuko spun, his leg flashing. His bare foot, trailing a gout of red-hot flames, struck the bag with a sizzling pop. The thick canvas caught on fire instantly, as he spun out of the kick and danced in place, his fists raised. Sweat poured down his skin as he watched the bag burning, the canvas turning black, the flames sending smoke spiraling toward the open beam ceiling of his apartment.

"Fuck," he breathed, and dropped out of his stance, shaking out his aching arms, and then killing the flames on the bag with an impatient twist of his hands. The fire died, and the stench of burning canvas filled the room.

Disgusted, he turned away from the bag, and lifted a hand to his mouth, biting down on the trailing edge of the tape that covered his knuckles. He started unraveling it, bit by bit, his temper still seething, rolling over last night with sour twist of his stomach.

Donghai and his men had gotten away. Now that he knew that someone was gunning for him, he'd be more careful about where he spent his nights. He'd have more guards. More swords. More Earthbenders, probably.

If he didn't do something the Triad would keep coming after them, wanting their protection money. And if they didn't pay up, the Triad would put them out of business permanently. He'd wanted to intimidate them, threaten them into stopping, but the Warrior had been right.

There would always be someone to take Donghai's place, so long as the Triads controlled Ba Sing Se. And to take down the Triads...

That was what the Warrior was doing, he was sure of it. The Triads were involved in the missing cases that were plaguing the city. He'd had that thought a time or two himself; it was hard to miss the signs on the street corners and in shop windows, all of the faces of the women who had just disappeared from the streets with not a trace of where they were, or if they were alive.

The Warrior was trying to stop them all by herself, and Zuko couldn't help but feel like that was a fight he needed to be in on. They had a common goal, the Blue Spirit and the Warrior, after all. They were both gunning for the Triads. Taking them down would solve both of their problems.

Except she wanted nothing to do with him.

Zuko finished unwrapping his fists, still musing about the Warrior. He took a deep drink of water, and then poured the rest of the glass over his head, letting the water wash away the sweat and the bitter taste of defeat still clinging to the corners of his lips.

He glanced out the window. The sun was up, outside of his window, the morning light simmering and warm, with an aching blue sky edged with the thin scum of brown pollution that always hovered over the city. The shop would be opening soon.

He hadn't been able to sleep when he'd come home last night, so he'd taken his frustrations out on the punching bag instead. Now he had a full shift at his Uncle's tea shop to look forward to.

Iroh would take one look at him and know what he'd been up to. At least he didn't think the fight at the club had made the papers. Yet. And if his uncle knew that he'd run into the infamous Warrior, he'd endlessly lecture him and question him.

He needed to keep Iroh out of this as much as possible. He already knew too much.

Zuko took a cold shower, letting the water sluice over his skin, washing away the night before, his sweat and regrets. It did nothing to quiet the fire burning beneath his skin, but at least it woke him up a little.

By the time he came downstairs to the shop, his uncle was already busy making tea. The air smelled of baked goods and fried dough. Twisting his wet hair up off of his neck, Zuko caught Iroh's eye as he turned away from the stove. His uncle paused, opened his mouth to say something to him, and then closed it again.

Zuko knew that wouldn't be the end of it, but at least Iroh wasn't going to lay into him this early in the morning. He went about his chores, opening the shop and refilling everything. By the time he'd turned the open sign around, his sour mood had settled into a bored kind of acceptance.

The morning passed by slowly, and he tried to keep his mind on his work, but he kept thinking about the Warrior, her angry voice echoing in his ears.

He was busing a table, replaying last night again and again, when the bell over the door chimed again. He glanced over his shoulder, expecting yet another customer, and stopped, feeling a punch to his gut as he met a pair of sparkling blue eyes that had been searching the room.

She stopped when she spotted him, and a slow smile lit up her pretty face.

All thoughts of the mysterious Warrior fled his sleep-deprived mind like a cyclone had blown through him on the spot. He nearly dropped the tub of dirty tea cups in his hands as he whipped around to face the door.

He couldn't help the heat that rushed to his face. Despite everything that had happened last night, thoughts of Suki had been simmering in the back of his mind. The Warrior had intrigued him, but Suki...

Suki made his heart pound out of control. He hadn't imagined it at all. Seeing her there, in the shop again, after the fight with the Triads, made his whole body feel like it had been electrocuted.

She was wearing a pair of yoga pants, and a crop top that showed off her toned stomach, and carrying her gym bag again. She was probably on her way to the dojo to teach another class. He liked the way she looked, with her dark blue eyes on him.

And yet he couldn't stop himself from thinking about how pretty she'd look in something slinky... Maybe something red, like the girls back in the Fire Nation wore...

Fire surged beneath his skin and he hastily put the tub down, feeling heat scorching his face as her eyes took him in. He wondered how he looked, and wished, and not for the first time, that he wasn't wearing the stupid flowery green apron his uncle insisted all of his workers wear.

"Hey," Suki said, smiling at him.

"Hey," he said, looking up at her. He glanced around the shop; there were only three customers in the place at the moment; the lunch rush hadn't come in yet. One young man a student at the university by the look of him, sat at a table near the sunlit windows, reading from a boring looking textbook, a confused expression on his face as he frantically made notes. An older couple was in the far corner, talking in low tones to each other, and ignoring everything else. "I didn't think I'd see you back. Not after the last time."

"Well, someone promised me free tea and some hot buns. I couldn't stay away. Not after a tempting offer like that," she said with a grin. Zuko returned the expression, as she came into the shop.

"I see, you're just here for my tea."

"And your hot buns."

He laughed. He couldn't help it. She shouldered her gym bag and walked toward him, glancing at his face in the sunlight.

"Sweet tooth, huh?"

"You have no idea," she said, and then cocked her head. They'd slowly been closing the distance between themselves as they'd talked—flirted—and now she was standing right in front of him. Close enough that he could smell her perfume. He felt a little drunk as he breathed her in. She was all jasmine and honey and he felt a tug go through him, centered right in his groin.

"I was hoping you'd come back in," he said. "I wanted to see you again, Suki."

Suki took a breath and bit down on her bottom lip, looking up at him through her lashes. "I wanted to see you again too. Does it hurt?"

For one stupid moment he thought she meant his heart, which was aching and pounding and beating wildly in his chest at how very near she was, but then he realized she meant his face, and the bruise still purpling his jaw from the fight with Donghai and his Triad.

"Oh...yeah. I'm used to it," he said, shrugging. Suki reached out, and her fingers brushed his jaw. "Doesn't hurt a bit."

"I know the feeling. I'm covered head to toe after my classes," she said, and her hand dropped away. He found himself smiling again, stupidly. "I have bruises in places you wouldn't believe."

"I think I can conjure a few ideas."

She laughed, and her head tipped down. "I'll bet you could."

"Zuko?"

Zuko started, and glanced over his shoulder at Iroh, framed in the kitchen doorway. His uncle had a big grin on his face; Zuko wondered how long he'd been standing there, watching him make a fool of himself.

"Yes, Uncle?"

"I believe we owe the young miss some tea?" he said, his eyes twinkling. "Oolong, wasn't it?"

Suki nodded. "If it's not too much trouble. I can pay."

"Nonsense! It's on the house!" Iroh said, and then sailed back into the kitchen, leaving Zuko standing there with Suki, feeling awkward and too hot beneath his flowery green apron.

"If you have a seat, I'll get everything."

"Okay," Suki said, a little breathlessly. He felt heat in his face as he made a beeline to the kitchen. The door swung open and he nearly collided with Iroh on the other side.

"Uncle!"

"Ask her out!" Iroh hissed.

"What? I can't do that!" Zuko said, lowering his voice and hoping it wouldn't carry into the mostly-empty tea shop.

"Why not? She is flirting with you!" Iroh said, and poked him in the stomach with a hard jab. Then he turned back to the stove, where had a collection of tea kettles warming slowly.

"She's not fl—" Zuko started, then stopped, his lips curling a little. "Okay, she is! And I'm flirting back! But my life is a little too complicated right now to be going on dates! Okay?"

Iroh smacked a tray down and turned to look at him with a withering glare. "Then uncomplicate it! You are headstrong and I know you think running around this city every night with a mask on is the right thing to do, but you are also a young man. A young man who needs to be with someone. It is not healthy to shut yourself away the way you do! Especially not when a beautiful young woman is clearly interested in you!"

Zuko put two of the freshest buns down onto the tray and sighed. "It's not that I'm not interested, Uncle... I just don't want her involved in my troubles. I like her. She can handle herself, but if she knew who I was... Who I really am..."

"The Blue Spirit."

But Zuko's face fell. "I didn't mean the Blue Spirit, Uncle. If she knew that I was from the Fire Nation...about my real identity... About my father... It's better if I don't get involved with anyone, especially with this price on my head. Father would kill anyone to get to me. I can't pull her into that."

Iroh wiped his hands on a tea towel and then turned and grasped his shoulders. He stared into Zuko's eyes, his mouth a hard line.

"Your father is in the Fire Nation. He thinks that you are dead. But you aren't dead. And you deserve to live like other young men. You deserve some bit of happiness. Please, don't live your life now in fear of what tomorrow may bring. You will miss out on everything, and have nothing."

"Uncle..."

"Just please think about it. Please?" Iroh said, and then patted his face with his warm hands, smelling of flour and tea. Zuko glanced back at the kitchen door.

"I will."

Iroh didn't say anything else, just finished making Suki's tea, and then handed the tray to him. But Zuko could feel his eyes on his back the whole way out. When he walked into the dining room of the shop, Suki was rubbing her shoulder like it hurt her, her bag at her feet.

Her eyes lifted to his and he felt that jerk in his stomach, like he'd missed a step going downstairs. He felt blood rushing in his head as he came over to her table, and set the tray in front of her.

"Thank you," she said. "It looks amazing. Would you care to join me?"

"Oh, uh...yeah," he said, glancing at the other customers, but the couple was still talking and nursing their cups of tea, and the student was scratching his head and reading over his notes, his brush clasped between his teeth. Zuko sat down across from her at the table, feeling awkward, as Suki pushed one of the buns toward him.

She took a bite and made a soft sound of pleasure. He breathed in, watching her eating with a weird sense of satisfaction. "This is good. Exactly what I needed."

_And you're exactly what I need_, Zuko thought in a dizzying rush.

"I hope you weren't late to your class the other day. After the fight," he said, trying to steer his mind elsewhere. The sting of the fight was still with him. And afterward, the fight at the club with the Warrior. That still stung too.

"I made it in time," she said and then her face fell. "I found out that one of my students is missing, though."

Zuko stilled. "Oh?"

"A girl. Jin. They've put up fliers, but... I'm afraid it will be just like all those other girls. My friend Qing went missing a few years ago, and my neighbor Aya. They never found them. I'm afraid of what might happen to Jin."

"I'm so sorry..." Zuko said, and then thought of what the Warrior had said. She was hunting the Triads, looking for information on the missing girls. Something in him hardened, seeing the look of fear and anger in Suki's eyes. "I hope they find her."

"Me too," she said, lowering her head. She took a drink of tea, and then looked up again. "Sorry, I didn't mean to put my troubles on you. You have enough to worry about."

"I don't mind sharing your troubles, Suki," Zuko said. "I like talking to you. I don't like talking to many people. But I like talking to you."

"I like talking to you too," she said softly, and he felt his heart give another painful lurch.

"Do you want to go out sometime?" Zuko asked in a rush, the words tumbling out of him before he could stop them. "With... With me. Do you want to go out with me. Sometime? On a date."

Suki looked up, blinking, the sun making her bobbed hair a red halo that he wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through. He saw heat flush her cheeks, and then she smiled again, showing dimples as she bit down on her lower lip.

"I'd love to. I'm free tomorrow night."

"I...Damn, I have to work tomorrow."

"NO HE DOESN'T!" Iroh declared from the kitchen doorway. Zuko flinched, eyes squeezing shut as embarrassment flooded him. He turned around gave Iroh a wild-eyed look, but Iroh gave him two thumb's up, grinning. Zuko took a breath and turned back to face Suki.

"Turns out I'm not working," he said in a flat voice, making Suki laugh. He loved the sound of it, the soft peal that ran goosebumps down his skin. Every stupid argument he'd been making against asking her out seemed suddenly unimportant. He'd do anything to make her laugh like that again.

"You can pick me up in front of the dojo, then. At sundown," Suki said.

"Okay. It's a date, then."

"Okay," Suki said, and then glanced out the window, at the shadows slanting across the street. "Damn. I have a class. I have to go."

"Alright!" he said, getting to his feet with a scrape of the chair legs. Suki reached into her pocket for her money, but he waved her away. "I told you, it was on the house."

"If you're sure?" she said, and he nodded. She put her money away and scooped up her bag. Her cheeks were very pink, but she was smiling. "Tomorrow night?"

"Sundown," he said heavily.

"Don't be late," she said, and then waved, leaving with a flash of her hair and a chime of the bell over the door. The moment she was out of sight of the shop windows, Zuko let out a breath. His knees felt weak. His head was spinning and his heart was racing.

He couldn't believe he'd asked her out. And he couldn't believe she'd said yes.

What had he been thinking? He was a vigilante, a banished Fire Prince with a price on his head. He shouldn't be dating. And yet...

He rubbed at his chest, where his heart was galloping like an ostrich-horse.

Iroh was right. He needed something good in his life, even if he wasn't sure he deserved it. He was still going to try.

* * *

Suki felt warm, and it wasn't from the sunlight streaming down on her. Her stomach was all full of butterflies and she kept feeling like she was floating on air.

She couldn't believe Zuko had asked her out. And she couldn't believe she'd said yes.

Actually, she could. She couldn't deny that she had been flirting with him, despite trying to tell herself not to, that her life was way too complicated for something as mundane as dating. But Zuko had turned those jewel bright eyes on her and she'd been unable to do anything but blush and stammer all over herself, flirting for all that she was worth.

She couldn't help it. He was cute and awkward and she desperately wanted to get to know him outside of his uncle's tea shop. She'd seen him fight; he was trained and she wondered where and by whom. And that scar of his. Someone had burned him. There was a story there.

She found him fascinating and attractive. And it had been a very long time since she'd dated. Ty Lee was right. She definitely needed to start seeing men who weren't criminals and muggers. And if she was dating someone, then maybe Ty Lee wouldn't be so suspicious about where she went all night.

_Not that I'll be spending all night with Zuko... _she thought hastily, but then her mind conjured up a very tempting fantasy of doing just that. _It's just a date. Just a harmless, innocent date... _

But she very much wanted it to be a lot more than that.

As Suki turned the corner near the Kyoshi Dojo, she spotted a flier pasted to the wall of the noodle shop. She stopped dead in her tracks, staring into Jin's shy eyes. All thoughts of Zuko fled and a lump formed in her throat.

She thought about her failure last night, about the fight at the club, and her run-in with the Blue Spirit. She'd been trying not to think about the masked vigilante all day, but it hadn't been easy. She'd been so annoyed that he'd ruined the one good lead she'd had.

But she had regretted sending him packing the minute she'd taken off across the rooftops. One thing she'd learned during that fight in the club: having a partner, even someone she didn't know if she could trust, wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. She couldn't take on the entire Triad by herself, after all, and if she was going to get Jin and the other girls back, she needed all the help she could get.

Even if she'd wanted to punch the mask off of his face for messing up her plans.

Maybe if she ran into him again she'd rethink her warning, but she doubted she was ever going to see the Blue Spirit again. It was a big city, after all.

She was on her own.

"I'm going to find you," Suki said, reaching out and touching the flier with trembling fingers. "I'm going to put a stop to this. I promise, Jin. I'm coming for you."

She just hoped she didn't die trying.


	8. Seven

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

* * *

"Which one? The light green or the dark green?" Suki asked, holding up two dresses by their hangars, her brows rising in question. Ty Lee, laying on Suki's bed on her stomach with her feet up, chin on her hands, eyed the dresses in question.

"What kind of look are you going for? Sultry temptress? Or naughty librarian?"

"Is that not the same thing?"

"No!" Ty Lee said, grinning, her bare feet wiggling. "Sultry temptress is a completely different vibe from a naughty librarian. Oooh, maybe you're going for slutty girl next door instead? If so, pick the green one!"

"I'm not going for naughty, sultry, _or_ slutty," Suki laughed, turning back to the mirror and holding the light green one up to her chest.

"What's wrong with slutty?"

"Nothing! I just want to be myself."

"You can be yourself and be a little naughty, Suki. It wouldn't kill you to put yourself out there. Going out on a date with the cute tea shop guy is a start, but you are in desperate need of a good hard bang."

Suki wheeled on her, her mouth open. "I am not! And it's just a date! I'm not going to sleep with him!"

Ty Lee sighed. "You are hopeless. Pick the dark green one. It'll make you look wholesome and doesn't show off your boobs. You'll be home by nine with your virtue intact. If that's what you want."

Suki held up the yellow dress, her lips pursed.

Was that what she wanted? She was excited at the prospect of getting to know Zuko better; she liked him a lot. He was attractive, mysterious, and he was kind and shy, and awkward in a lot of ways. What was Zuko expecting out of the date, she wondered?

She wasn't about to sleep with him, not on a first date, but... Well, she wanted him to find her attractive. She wanted to wow him.

She hung the two dresses back up in her closet and turned to her best friend, screwing up her courage.

"Okay, I give up. You can dress me for my date."

Ty Lee perked up instantly, her eyes wide and her grin impish. "Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Do your worst, Ty Lee. I'm at your mercy," she said, wincing as Ty Lee let out a squeal and bounded off of the bed. She grabbed Suki by the face and planted a wet kiss right on her mouth. Then she squealed again, jumping up and down, her long braid bouncing wildly.

"Zuko won't know what hit him! Stay right there! I have the _perfect_ dress!" Ty Lee said, and darted for the door, swinging out the room and leaving Suki to clap her hand to her face, wondering if she'd just made a huge mistake.

An hour later, Suki was still regretting her decision, as Ty Lee put the finishing touches on her "masterwork" and then stood back with a dramatic flourish.

"There! If this doesn't get you laid, nothing will!"

"I'm not trying—" she started to argue, but Ty Lee grasped her by the arms and spun her to face the mirror. The words died in her throat and she stared at herself, brows raising. "Wow."

"I know," Ty Lee said, bouncing behind her excitedly. "He won't know what hit him."

Suki stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of her closet door. It wasn't as if she were some kind of hoyden, but most days she didn't bother with makeup, since she would sweat it off in the dojo anyway. Her hair was chin-length and she kept it pulled out of her face, mostly. She tended to dress for the dojo every day, in workout clothing.

Besides, she wore enough makeup and fancy clothing at night, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and punching criminals in the face. Who needed the hassle?

"I look... Pretty."

"You always look pretty, Suki. I just highlighted it," Ty Lee said. "Do you like it?"

She did, but she didn't want to admit it. She even liked the dress Ty Lee had let her borrow. It was a soft golden color, made of shiny silk that caught the light. The bodice showed a lot more cleavage than either of the two dresses she'd picked out earlier, but not enough that she felt she was in danger of hanging out of it. Ty Lee had helped her pick out a pair of shoes to go with it; a pair of strappy sandals in a nude color.

She'd paired the dress with a gold chain necklace and some matching stud earrings.

"Nothing too flashy. You want to let your boobs do the work," Ty Lee had said, before going to work on her hair, which she'd curled and fluffed and sprayed with who-knew-what until it lay like a soft cloud around Suki's face.

Her makeup was subtle, nude shadow with a sharp emerald green line winging up from her eyes. Her lips were soft and pink, her cheeks rosy, skin dewy.

She bit her bottom lip, a nervous flutter in her stomach. "I love it, Ty Lee. Thank you."

"You can repay me by bringing me back all of the juicy details and if you leave anything out, I swear I will beat you with your own shoe!" Ty Lee said, her grin still wide, admiring her work.

"There's not going to be any juicy details," she argued, stealing a glance at the window. The sun was going down, staining the bit of sky she could see over the neighboring rooftops pink. "I'm late. He's meeting me in front of the dojo at sundown."

She snatched up her purse and keys, and then turned to Ty Lee.

"Have fun!" Ty Lee said, giving her two thumbs up.

"Thanks. For everything. Seriously," she said, heading into the living room of their shared apartment. She swung the door open.

"Just be careful, okay?" Ty Lee said, her giddy enthusiasm fading a little. She frowned. "I know you can take care of yourself, but... So could Jin. Okay?"

The butterflies in Suki's stomach turned to bats in an instant as she thought of Jin. She glanced back at her best friend. "I'll be careful, okay? I'll see you when I get home."

"If you don't spend the night at his place!" Ty Lee said, her grin returning, brows waggling.

"Stop trying to get me laid!" Suki laughed, as she sailed out of the front door.

"NEVER!" Ty Lee called, her laughter following Suki down the hell and then down the narrow staircase to the ground level. When she came out of the door, she spotted Zuko standing on the sidewalk in front of the dojo, his back to her. He was facing the dojo, rocking back and forth on his heels.

She couldn't help the smile on her lips.

"Hey!"

Zuko turned around, his eyes hitting hers instantly. A grin split his lips as his gaze trailed down her face to her dress, and then back again. "Hey.. Wow. You look... Wow."

She couldn't help but think that he sounded a little stunned, his eyes a bit glassy as she walked over to him. He was wearing a pair of dark pants, a white button-down shirt, and a black leather jacket. His long hair was swept back from his face, half of it braided back. The bruise on his face was still a livid purple, but it just added to his appeal. He was holding a single daisy in his fingers.

Suki found herself swallowing a little, and was suddenly more than glad that Ty Lee had worked her magic on her. She liked the way that Zuko's lips curled as he looked at her, and the way he met her eyes, looking stunned.

"Thank you. You look good too," she said awkwardly, because that was an understatement. "Is that for me?"

Zuko glanced down at the daisy and blushed a little beneath his bruise. "Yeah. I picked it from one of Uncle's flower boxes. I was going to get you roses, but the flower shop was closed. Sorry."

"That's okay. I love daisies," she said, taking it from him and tucking it behind her ear. Then she reached out, looping her arm with his. "Ready?"

"Yeah. I thought we'd uh... Go get something to eat?" he said, sounding nervous. She fought a grin; he sounded as she felt. That was a good sign, right?

They walked down the street, in the opposite direction of the Jasmine Dragon. The sun was well and truly down now, and the streetlights were coming on. So were the neon signs that lit up the buildings and businesses in their little neighborhood. Everything was a wash of color and noise, as they passed over people on the sidewalk, cars honking down the narrow gulleys of the streets.

Ba Sing Se came to life at night, a glittering jewel full of sin and sex. She knew this city's terrible underbelly all too well, but she also loved it too, as much as she hated to admit it. She wore her paint and ran through the alleys, beating up criminals, because someone had to. But also for the thrill of it.

She wondered what Zuko liked to do for the thrill of it, as she glanced up at his bruised face. He was certainly no coward. He'd proven that when he'd taken on Donghai and his men in the tea shop the other day. It had been foolhardy, but she admired him for taking a stand.

Zuko glanced down at her as they walked down the street. "I love this city at night."

She blinked a little and then smiled. "I was just thinking the same thing. I like the energy after dark. This place really wakes up when the sun goes down."

"The good parts and the not so good parts," he said darkly. "But I know what you mean. Umm... So what do you like to do for fun?"

He winced as he said it and she smothered a smile.

"I like to beat people up," she said, making his eyes widen. She laughed, her arm tightening on his. "I'm kidding. Mostly. My best friend Ty Lee says I don't know how to have fun. She says I work too much. She's probably right. I spend most of my time in the dojo."

"Do you own the dojo or just work there?"

"Ty Lee and I own it together," Suki said. "We barely scrape by, but somehow we keep making rent every month. Of course, that might change from month to month. There's not a lot of money in my line of work, but I like what I do. And someone has to teach these girls to protect themselves."

"Especially in Ba Sing Se," he said, sighing. They were passing by a telephone pole, and she couldn't help but notice one of Jin's missing posters taped to the sign. Zuko stopped, hesitating. "That was your student, right?"

"Yeah. They still haven't found her. They never find the girls once they go missing."

"Do you think she's..." But Zuko stopped, his mouth drawing a tight seal, as if afraid of hurting her. She shook her head.

"I know it sounds terrible, but I almost hope that she is. I don't like the thought of the alternative. What she might be going through... Jin was a quiet girl. Shy and sweet. She was good at self-defense, I'm sure whoever took her didn't bargain on the fight she gave them, but they still took her. I didn't do enough."

"It's not your fault," Zuko said quickly, turning and gripping her hands. "Suki, you can't blame yourself for this. You did what you could. The people who took her, they're the ones to blame. They have to be stopped..."

She wanted to tell him that she was trying, that she had almost had Donghai in her grasp, but the Blue Spirit had gotten in her way. She wanted to tell him that she was going to stop the people responsible even if it killed her, but she couldn't say any of it. Zuko had no idea that she was the Warrior. No one did, not even Ty Lee.

Zuko's eyes searched hers for a long moment. Then he said softly, "Someone has to stop them. The Triads, these kidnappers..."

She didn't like the look in his eyes; it was determined. She didn't know what that look meant, but after seeing Zuko taking on the Triad the other day, fear welled in her. Zuko would get himself killed if he didn't watch it.

"Someone will, but it won't be us," she said, smiling softly. "Probably one of those crazy vigilantes I keep reading out in the paper."

Zuko's lips curled. "You think they're crazy?"

"You'd have to be a little crazy, to take on the Triads in a fight," she teased him pointedly. He laughed, and she decided on the spot that she loved the sound. She felt warm, standing there with his hands in hers, bathed in the red light of a flashing neon sign, and it had nothing to do with the sultry night air.

"Just a touch, I think. Of course, I seem to remember you giving them a run for their money too," he said, brow arching.

"Oh, I'm not crazy. I just can't resist a good fight when I see one," she grinned. "Or a good thing."

He took her meaning, his eyes lighting up with excitement. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, his eyes tracking over her shoulder. His expression changed in an instant, alarm showing on his face.

It was the only warning she got before a pair of hands sank into her hair, and yanked.


	9. Eight

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

* * *

"Look what we have here," Donghai snarled as he yanked Suki back against him by her hair. "Out for a night on the town?"

Zuko felt fire flaring in his fists, but resisted the urge to shoot flames at the man. He might hit Suki, and there went his secret identity. Besides, he was outnumbered.

Donghai's three friends flanked him, all as big and ugly as he was. He knew the men well; they been at the tea shop when he and Suki had fought with Donghai the other week.

He cursed himself for not having reacted sooner when Donghai and his men had come out of the flower shop behind Suki. Donghai must have spotted them from inside the shop, because he hadn't hesitated when he'd come out, grabbing Suki instantly.

This was personal.

"Let her go!" Zuko growled.

"Aww, look, it's Ugly from the tea shop! Didn't know a guy like you could score trim this fine. You two on a wittle date tonight?" Donghai laughed. "Sorry to interrupt, but she and I have unfinished business."

"Get your fucking hands off of her!"

"Nah, don't think I will. Don't worry, you can have my sloppy seconds when I'm done, Ugly. I owe this little bitch for the other day! Seems I have nothing but trouble with little bitches these days."

"Don't call me that," Suki said through her teeth. The alarm on Suki's face at having been grabbed out of nowhere faded instantly, and something cold came down over her face. Cold, and determined.

"Why not? You're nothing but a little bitch. And I know what you're good for. No one's going to miss you, are they? _Little bitch_." He yanked Suki's hair again, and her eyes narrowed.

Zuko's heart leaped, flames in his palms instantly, his control lost. He started to move into a form, hoping to hit Donghai, looking for an opening.

Suki didn't give him the chance, however. She took in a sharp breath and then reached behind her, grabbing Donghai's vest and with a tremendous forward yank, she bent, flipping him over her shoulder.

He hit the ground with a hard bang, the breath knocked out of him instantly.

"I don't like that word," she snarled, and turned, ready to defend herself against the three other men who had unexpectedly come out of the flower shop with Donghai.

Zuko was already moving, however, spinning in and launching a kick straight at the nearest man's chest. The blow staggered him, knocking him away from Suki, who changed her attack to the next closest. She launched herself at him, jamming her knee into his stomach.

Donghai was wheezing, but climbing to his feet, his face a mask of rage. Zuko whipped around to face him, fists ready.

"You're both going down. I don't care how much that old man paid us. Make an example out of the both of you..."

"Try me, asshole," Zuko said, as Donghai pulled a knife and took a swipe at him. He danced backward, as Donghai slashed at the air. He felt the knife sail past his nose, avoiding it by dancing backward. Donghai jabbed at his chest, and Zuko caught his hand, bringing his elbow down into the crook of Donghai's arm.

The knife fell from his numb fingers, and Zuko caught it, flipping it around and slashing at Donghai's chest before he could jump out of the way. He saw skin through the slice in the man's dark suit jacket.

"That's mine," Donghai snarled through his teeth.

"Mine now," Zuko said, sparing a glance at Suki, only to see that she had knocked out one of the men; he was lying face down on the ground and did not look like he was going to get up any time soon. She was fighting the other two bare-fisted. One of them got hold of her dress and ripped it, but he didn't see what happened next.

Donghai bellowed with rage and went for him, fists swinging. Zuko took the blow to the middle, unable to fully block it. It forced him down to his knee, but he rolled with it, throwing himself out of the way of a blow that would have had him face down on the ground.

He came up on his feet and threw the knife past Donghai.

It landed in the back of the man who had ripped Suki's dress. He cried out and went down, his hands scrabbling at his back, trying to get the knife.

Donghai didn't stop to help his goon; he was too busy swinging on Zuko, who blocked blow after blow, looking for his opportunity.

He found it, getting in under one of Donghai's devastating swings. His knuckles jabbed into Donghai's ribs. He smashed his head forward, hard enough to put stars into his own eyes, and bashed Donghai right in the face.

Blood showed, as the gangster staggered backward, face contorted with pain. He got about two steps away, when one of his men was thrown into him.

The two of them toppled to the ground before Zuko, who looked up through streaming eyes, pain in his head from the blow. Suki had thrown the goon, and was finishing off the third man.

She kicked him and he staggered toward Zuko, who grabbed him and slammed his elbow into his head. The man slumped, unconscious on the ground, his ass up in the air, face against the concrete.

The other man, the one with the knife in his back, was sweating and screaming. Donghai was trying to push the other man off of him.

"Are you okay?" Suki and Zuko asked each other at the same time, panting.

"I'll fucking kill you!" Donghai spat, blood pouring out of his nose. "I know where you fucking live, you bitch! You're going to fucking PAY! All of you little bitches are going to fucking PAY!"

"Time to go," Zuko said, dashing forward and grabbing Suki's hand when she looked like she was going to go for Donghai again. She fought him for a second, her anger flaring, but then she cursed and followed him.

He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that he had to get Suki away from Donghai. There had been nothing but rage in Donghai's face, and if what the Warrior had said the other night was true, then Donghai had something to do with the missing girls in the city, including Jin, Suki's friend.

If Donghai was targeting Suki for helping him at the tea shop, that was bad. That was extremely bad.

Guilt broke open in his stomach as they ran. Suki kept pace with him easily, despite the heels she was wearing, and when she pulled him after her and into an alley, he followed willingly. Their shadows danced along the alley walls as they splashed through puddles of rainwater and garbage juice.

When Suki skidded to a halt, and then jumped, grabbing hold of a rusty fire escape ladder, he just jumped out of the way, helping her pull it down the rest of the way.

"Go, go, go," he said, breathless, pushing her in front of him protectively, glancing back down the alley to see if they were being pursued. But Donghai was nowhere to be found.

He didn't trust that, however, and he turned back, looking up as Suki took the fire escape ladder two rungs at a time. He could see straight up her skirt, however, and looked away, blood rushing to his face.

"Don't look up my dress," she shot back at him.

"Uh? Sorry? Kind of already did."

To his surprise, Suki laughed, her voice breathless. "Come on, before he follows us. I know a place nearby," she called down to him. He found himself half-smiling, his face red, wondering who this woman was.

He took the ladder two rungs at a time too, though he knew he could have gotten up them even faster; he'd become very good at scaling the buildings of Ba Sing Se the last few months, but he didn't dare show her how easily he could do it. She might start wondering a few things.

And the last thing he needed was to get Suki involved in his life as a vigilante.

At least, more involved than she already was.

His stomach knotted up as he followed her up the rickety fire escape, three flights up to the top of the building. Suki was two steps ahead of him, her hair mussed from Donghai's hands. She ran to the ledge and then, to his surprise, jumped clean over the gap between the buildings, landing with a stumble on the opposite roof.

She turned to face him. "It's not too far. I think you can—"

But he was already jumping, landing with a smooth, practiced motion. He looked up, flipping his long hair out of his face. "Yeah, I think I got it."

Suki's eyebrow quirked with interest. "Nice moves."

"You too."

"Come on," she said. "Two buildings that way."

"Lead the way. Wait!" he said, grabbing her arm and turning her back to him. "Your dress..."

Suki looked down at herself, seemingly startled by the state of her clothing. Donghai's man had nearly ripped it clean off of her, and he could see her bra and stomach on one side. He forced his eyes away, and shrugged his leather jacket off.

Her mouth opened in surprise and shock, then she sighed. "Dammit, Ty Lee is going to kill me."

"I'm sorry. Here," he said, swinging the jacket around her. "This should help."

Suki looked up at him and he saw her blue eyes shining in the moonlight. "Thanks. There wasn't much dress to begin with, but... Thanks."

He zipped the jacket closed; it hid most of the damage to the dress, but the thing was ruined. He hoped her friend Ty Lee didn't get too angry with her. He'd have to find a way to replace the dress.

It was his fault they had been attacked, after all.

All of it was his fault.

Suki looked at him shyly and then gestured toward the rooftops. "Follow me."

He watched her leap onto the next rooftop, fighting the urge to curse and go the opposite direction. He was putting her in danger just being near her, and he knew it. He couldn't stop his feet, however, leaping after her, following her across the rooftops.

She finally skidded to a halt before a large rusted metal water cistern bolted to one of the rooftops. It was missing a lid, and there were rusted gaps in it; this cistern had not been used for a long time.

She led him around it, and he found himself before a small dovecot made of wood and wire. The dovecot was covered in streaks of chalky white guano, and there were several hundred white doves inside, crowded together, their feathers rustling. They cooed as Suki approached them.

"Shhh... It's okay, I brought a friend," she said softly, turning back to face Zuko.

"Are they yours?"

"Not really. I bring them seeds sometimes. There was an old woman who lived in this building who used to keep them, but she died last year. They keep coming back to the dovecot, even though I took the door off so they could be free. I think they miss her."

"Did you know the woman?"

"Mmm hmm. She used to come to the same laundry as me. She was always having trouble carrying stuff, so one day I offered to carry her laundry home for her. Her apartment was a mess. She didn't look like anyone had helped her in a long time. I cleaned her house for her, helped her with her laundry, and took her grocery shopping. And I helped her with the doves."

Zuko smiled, looking at her in the lights of the city spreading out below them. She looked beautiful, silhouetted against the glittering web of Ba Sing Se. Beautiful and too damned good for the likes of him.

"Sounds like you miss her too."

Suki's smile was sad. "Yeah. But at least I can still visit the doves."

"You're amazing, you know that?" he said softly, unable to stop himself.

"So are you," she said. "The way you hit that guy in the back with the knife... Good aim. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"I had good teachers growing up. But you, you had better ones. You took on all three of those men on your own."

"I've had a lot of practice," she demurred, but he reached forward, touching her face, tilting it into the light. One of the men had gotten a blow to her face in; he could see the mark. It would bruise.

"They hit you."

"I'm okay," she said softly, lifting her hand and putting over his as he cupped her face. His heart ached, and not for the first time. "We're both okay."

"They attacked you because of me," he said heavily. "Because I attacked them in the shop that day. You heard them. If I'd just paid them they would have left us both alone. Now Donghai is going to go after you."

"I'm not afraid of him."

"I think he has something to do with your friend going missing. With all of the girls."

Suki's eyes flicked to the side and she licked her lips. "We don't know that, Zuko. He's just a gangster. He does the protection racket. He..."

"You heard what he said. Someone has to stop him."

"Someone will," she said, stepping forward, his hand sliding down to her shoulder. She touched his chest, her eyes large in the glittering lights, her hair tugged by the wind. "But not you. You don't need to protect me, Zuko."

"It's my fault," he said, looking away from her. "If you hadn't been with me tonight, he wouldn't have attacked you either."

"I doubt that's true," she said. "It's not your fault. And I enjoyed kicking their asses."

But he wasn't listening, misery spreading in him. He knew what he had to do, but he did not want to do it.

"Suki... This... I shouldn't have asked you out... I... You're going to get hurt. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you."

"I can handle myself. And I'm not afraid of them, Zuko."

"You should be."

"So should you."

They stared at one another for a long moment. Zuko sighed, feeling his heart breaking. "I should go. You deserve better than this, Suki. Better than me."

He started to turn away, but Suki grabbed his hand, spinning him into her. He saw the determined look on her face, saw her lush open mouth, the desire in her eyes. When she threw her arms around his neck and slammed her mouth to his, he didn't fight it.

He didn't want to.

He put his arms around her and kissed her the way he had wanted to kiss her from the moment he'd met her.

He didn't ever want to let go.


	10. Nine

**CHAPTER NINE**

* * *

Hot shivers ran down Suki's arms, and swirled in little eddies down her spine as Zuko's scorching mouth took hers. The world spun around her as she sank her hands into his long hair, lifting herself up on tiptoe to get closer to him.

His arms had gone around her the moment she'd kissed him, and she felt the weight of his hands on her back, spreading, pressing her to him. Then sliding down the back of the leather jacket he'd slung around her to hide the damage to Ty Lee's poor dress. Then...oh then... His hands were on her waist, beneath the jacket, warm and soft and spreading up her back.

Suki's tongue touched his and he moaned, pressing harder, walking her backward until she felt the dovecot at her back. The birds cooed in her ears, but she ignored them. All she wanted was to keep kissing him, just like this, until the world exploded and the stars called her home.

Her toes curled up in her shoes, and she felt more shivers caress her skin as Zuko's kisses slowed into a hot roll of his tongue against hers. His kisses were exactly like him: serious, all business, and decadently hot.

For a man who had been trying his best to dissuade her, and about to walk away from her, he certainly was kissing her like he meant business. Like he wanted to take her right there, on the rooftop.

Oh dear sweet Spirits, I would let him... Suki thought wildly, knowing it was the truth. She would sleep with him, right then and there, and not regret a moment of it.

That wasn't like her.

Or, maybe it was. She'd been doing a lot of reckless things lately, hadn't she? It was a way of life now, chasing thrills on the rooftops of Ba Sing Se.

Sleeping with Zuko—serious, adorable, stammering, tea shop boy with a temper and a mean right cross—well, that was a thrill she'd gladly chase. Zuko seemed to be thinking the same thing, because his hand smoothed down to her ass, slipping beneath the hem of her ripped dress.

He hesitated and then moved it away, as if afraid she was going to push him away. Suki nipped his bottom lip and grabbed his hand, putting it back on her ass.

Zuko laughed against her lips and then went back to kissing her as seriously as before. This time with his hand firmly on her ass. Her leg lifted and she pushed her hips forward against him, letting him know what she wanted.

Zuko seemed like he took the obvious hint, but he pulled back, panting, pushing her back against the dovecot again.

"We shouldn't do this."

"Here? Or at all?"

"At all," he said, and then buried his face against her neck. She felt his teeth against her skin, dragging against her pulse point, and it immediately set off a cascade of chills down her sides. She bit her lip and arched her neck into the heat of his mouth, clutching at his shoulders.

"I told you, I'm not afraid of those guys."

"You should be," he said and then sucked on her neck. Suki gasped, fingers digging into his scalp. The hand on her ass pulled her forward against him, even as he pushed her back into the dovecot. The suction went on and on, until her eyes rolled up her head and she was sure she was about to explode.

It had been a long time since she'd had sex. Not since Sokka, her last boyfriend, and they'd been broken up for over two years. She had been ignoring her body, her needs, since then, turning her energy toward her work as the Warrior. Mostly it worked, but sometimes...

Even vigilantes got lonely.

But it was more than just being lonely and frustrated. She had been into Zuko the moment she'd seen him working in the Jasmine Dragon. He'd fascinated her, with his shy smile and mysterious scar. There was so much more to him than met the eye, and she had wanted to get to know him for months, despite her distractions, despite the work, despite the fight she had dedicated herself to.

She couldn't get him out of her head.

She wanted him.

And clearly, despite everything, he wanted her to.

"I have condoms in my purse," she managed, reaching for his belt. His hand stopped her.

"Suki..."

"What?"

"I...umm... That's... That's not a good idea."

She couldn't help the disappointment in her voice. "You don't want to?"

He smiled and nuzzled her nose with his own, then slid a soft kiss across her lips. She was instantly right back where she was; a candle burning just for him. When he lifted his mouth she was ready to rip the rest of her dress off, and she didn't care what Ty Lee would say about it.

"I do. Clearly, I do," Zuko said, letting her leg down from his thigh. His eyes flicked from her eyes and then down to her chest. "But we can't."

"I told you, I don't care about Donghai. I'm not afraid of them."

"I know, but I can't get you involved in this. You're already too involved. I put you in danger. I can't do this, Suki. Not until Donghai is gone," Zuko said with regret in his eyes. "You deserve better than this."

"I like you, Zuko."

"I like you too, Suki. Way more than I should. Which is why I'm doing this," he said and then stepped back, away from her. "I have to keep you safe. If something happened to you because of me, I couldn't live with it."

"You too," she whispered, hand against her mouth. She pushed away from the dovecot and touched his arm. "I understand...but I need you to know I'm not that easy to stay away from."

Zuko saw the smile on her lips and laughed. "Oh, believe me, I already know that."

"Damn right."

Zuko looked at her and then shook his head. He held out his hand. "Come on. I think I should take you home...before that dress comes off completely and we both end up in trouble."

"I like trouble."

She saw redness below Zuko's ears, as he took her hand and led her across the rooftops and down another fire escape to the street below. They walked together, with his hand in hers, and she felt her stomach knot up.

She knew that he thought that he was doing the right thing, that he had somehow brought Donghai down on her head, but if he knew who she really was, what she really did in this city, he wouldn't be afraid for her.

_Or maybe, _an annoying voice said in her head, _maybe he would more afraid for you than he is now. If Zuko knew you were the Warrior, that you were hunting Donghai and the men who took Jin and the others, he may try to stop you. He may think you're crazy._

And maybe she was crazy, but as they walked together down the street, she kept one eye out for trouble, wondering if Donghai was going to strike back at them. She saw saw Jin's missing poster again, and felt the knot in her stomach grow like a lump of cold, greasy sausage in her stomach.

Seeing Jin's face staring back at her was like a much-needed splash of cold water down her spine, and she found she couldn't get Jin's face out of her mind as they walked back toward the Kyoshi Dojo. By the time they reached the dojo, she was feeling sick and cold, despite his leather jacket.

Zuko pulled up short in front of the stairwell door that lead up to her apartment. His hand was still in hers, warm and solid and oh-so-tempting. The look he gave her was shy and embarrassed, and despite everything, something about that look made her desire ignite again.

There was just something about him that made her knees weak, and knowing what it was like to kiss him made it all the worse.

"I'm sorry about the date. I had a nice dinner planned."

"Not your fault," she said softly. "I got to beat up three men, so the night wasn't a total loss."

He laughed, flashing her a smile. "I can't ask you out again."

"But you want to?"

"Yeah."

"I'd say yes. I'd say yes to a lot more than a date," she said, biting her bottom lip. Heat flooded his face again and his lips cocked into a half smile. "I don't normally do that on the first date though. I'm not like that. Usually."

"I know," he said, lifting her hand to his mouth. He kissed the backs of her fingers. "You're an amazing woman, Suki. I'm sorry. You have no idea how sorry. I have to go. Goodnight."

Sadness rolled through her, and frustration.

"Goodnight, Zuko."

He nodded and dropped her hand, walking backward away from her. She watched him go, biting her lip, her heart banging hard in her chest. She turned and started to fish her keys out of her purse, when she heard a sound behind her.

"Zuko?" she asked, turning back toward him again, surprised—only to get swept back into his arms. His mouth crushed to hers for one breath-stealing moment, her feet lifting off of the ground. Her arms went around his neck again and she kissed him back, desperate to make it last.

But it didn't.

When he set her back down and broke the kiss, they were both panting. His forehead rested against hers, his breath hot on her lips. "I just had to do that one last time."

She didn't say anything; she didn't trust her mouth. When he stepped away from her this time, all she could do was watching him go, with her heart in throat and regret on her tongue. She watched him walk away, standing on the sidewalk wearing his leather jacket, feeling warm down to her toes despite the nip in the air.

When he disappeared around the corner, she sighed and looked up at the barely visible sky above her.

"Just my luck. I finally find a guy I'm into and he's all noble and thinks he has to protect me. If he only knew..."

But she couldn't tell him.

Feeling misery settling down over her, she dug her keys out and went to unlock the stairwell door. Only to see that the lock had been pried open. The door frame had been splintered, and the heavy deadbolt was dented.

Suki froze for a moment, staring at the broken lock. The breath left her in a rush and she cried out, pushing the door open and then running in a blind panic up the steps to her apartment.

She skidded to a halt outside of her apartment door, staring at the broken mess. The door had been hammered off of its hinges and lay in pieces.

"Ty Lee..." she whispered, her voice breaking. "Ty Lee. TY LEE!"

She screamed her best friend's name as she jumped over a jagged chunk of broken door and entered the chaos of the living room. Someone had torn the place apart.

No, not torn it apart. There had been a fight. She could see the signs everywhere she looked. A smash vase, a broken chair. Dents in the walls. Overturned furniture. A knife in a pillow.

Suki stared at the knife for a second, breathing hard as she turned this way and that, eyeing the chaos as if she were moving in slow motion, as if in a dream.

She swiped at the tears in her eyes, refusing to shed them, and walked into the kitchen. More mess. More signs of a fight, of a struggle. There was blood, splashed liberally across the floor. She stared at it, following the red streaks into the hallway outside of the bathroom.

There, on the floor... She bent over a blood-soaked towel that someone had discarded. Someone who had been injured.

"Ty Lee?"

But she knew Ty Lee was gone. Ty Lee's bedroom was empty. So was Suki's. The bedroom's were untouched. The fight had been in the kitchen and the living room.

She reexamined the door and saw blood on the frame, and then saw shallow furrows in the door frame itself, and blood too. Her own blood ran cold as she spotted something in one of the scratches in the wood.

It took her a moment, with her hands shaking, before she could dig it out.

She recognized the pink polish on the sliver of broken fingernail. Her head spun as she dropped the nail on the floor and dove for the purse she'd dropped in the middle of the living room. She called 911, but she knew it was too late. The police would do nothing. They always did nothing.

Ty Lee was gone. Taken by the same men that who had taken Jin and all of the others. Taken by Donghai and his men. Hadn't Donghai told her that he knew where she lived? She'd thought it was an empty threat, thought she could handle him.

And now Ty Lee was gone. She had put up a fight, but they had still taken her. Was she alive? Dead? What was happening to her? Suki wanted to be sick.

"It's my fault," Suki said, dropping her cell phone onto the torn up couch, her fingers numb. She looked up at the scratches on the door frame across the room. Her wet eyes narrowed, her shock turning into something else. Something useful.

Something dangerous.

"Time to hunt."


	11. Ten

**CHAPTER TEN**

* * *

Zuko emptied a full tray of cups into the sink with a bang, and a great soapy splash erupted out of the sink and drenched the wall. He grabbed another cup and slammed that into the water for good measure, scowling as he watched the cup sink into the sloshing water.

When he turned around, he found himself face to face with Iroh, who was standing beside the stove with one hand on his hip, brows raised.

"What?" Zuko shot at him, his tone harsh.

"If you break my cups I am taking it out of your paycheck," Iroh said.

"I don't care," he mumbled, moving to walk past his uncle. But Iroh stepped into his path, blocking him from going into the dining room. "I have tables."

"Not in that mood you do not. You have been stomping around the shop all day, glaring at everyone and snapping heads off left and right. If you cannot control your temper, you can end your shift early."

Zuko met Iroh's eyes and realized that Iroh was angry at him.

Well, no. Not angry, but certainly fed up with his bad attitude.

Zuko couldn't really blame him. He had been acting like a total jerk all day. He hadn't meant to, but the more he dwelt on what had happened last night with Suki, the fouler his mood became. He had never been the most personable of people, but he didn't have it him today to work customer service with a smile on his face.

"Fine," Zuko said, reaching behind his back and untying his apron with a rough yank. He took it off and tossed it at Iroh, who caught it before it could smack him in the face. "I'm done."

He turned on his heel and went for the back staircase, but Iroh called out to him.

"Was the date that bad?"

Zuko stopped, hand clenching into a tight fist. "I don't want to talk about it, Uncle."

"Perhaps you need to talk about it? Before you let whatever is bothering you get you into trouble. And I do not just mean being rude to my customers and breaking my cups."

Zuko took a breath and half-turned to face Iroh. His arms crossed over his chest and he leaned back against the door frame. "This isn't about that."

"Then what happened? Suki seemed like such a nice young woman. You like her."

_I more than like her,_ he thought recklessly, heat flashing up his spine.

Just the mere memory of her hot, drugging kiss was enough to make his limbs tingle. The moment her mouth had touched his he'd been lost in a haze of desire too deep to climb out of. She seemed just as caught up in the rush as he had been.

"I did, but I can't go out with her again," he said to Iroh, who frowned.

"Why not?"

"Because I can't put her in danger, Uncle. We were attacked by Donghai and his men because of what I did in the shop the other day. Donghai had Suki. He could have killed her. He threatened her. Because of me."

"I told you not to anger them."

"What else am I supposed to do, Uncle?" Zuko burst out, gesturing to the shop. "Let them come in here and beat us up and take everything you've worked so hard for? Do I just pretend I couldn't take them with one gesture?"

And he let his Firebending free, a sharp dagger of flames erupting from his fist. He lifted it, glaring his uncle down.

"Prince Zuko..."

"Don't call me that," Zuko said harshly.

"But you are a prince," Iroh said softly. "You must remember who you are, why you are here. Why you cannot let anyone know what you are. If they found out..."

"They won't. Besides, it's not me that's forgotten who I am, Uncle," Zuko shot at him, letting the flames dissipate. "I remember every damned day, whenever I look in the mirror, who I am. I'm not allowed to forget. Father made sure of that."

Before Iroh could say anything else, he spun and instead of going up the stairwell to his apartment, he went out the back door of the shop and into the alley. He slammed the heavy door behind him, and then kicked at a metal trash can, sending it flying against the graffiti-covered brick wall.

It didn't make him feel better.

He doubted anything would.

He knew what he wanted, and he couldn't have it.

He walked out of the alley, thinking things that weren't helpful. He felt trapped, and his feet found the familiar paths of the sidewalks, letting the sun bake his shoulders. He didn't know where he was going, he just had to get away from the shop for a while.

When he realized he was walking straight toward Kyoshi Dojo, he stopped, cursing under his breath.

He took a breath and leaned against a building, beneath the shade of an awning. He wanted to go to Suki. He wanted to tell her that he'd made a mistake. But he couldn't.

Pain caught in his chest and he rubbed at his heart, the wild fantasy of sleeping with her running roughshod through his head and aching in his loins. He had wanted to make love to her, right there on that rooftop last night. More than anything, he had wanted that. She had wanted to; he knew that all too well.

But he'd pulled back. For her own good, he'd had to.

He was still kicking himself for it. It felt like he'd made the biggest mistake of his life, walking away from her, but Donghai and his men had made his decision for him when they'd threatened Suki. He would not let them hurt her because of him.

It was more than that though. Suki was right. The Warrior was right too. Women had been going missing in the city and someone needed to stop them. The Warrior thought it was the Triads. She was sure that Donghai and his men had had something to do with it.

He had to stop them. Whatever the cost, he had to stop them.

He dropped his hand from his chest and looked up at the light pole in front of him. His eyes widened when he saw the poster taped to the pole.

"Spirits... Suki!"

He ran the two blocks to the Kyoshi Dojo in record time, only to find that the place was dark, the door locked and barred. He didn't bother knocking, racing over to stairwell door instead. He stopped when he saw the ragged remnants of police tape dangling across the door, which had been hastily repaired.

The door was locked, but there was a comm system beside the door, with buzzers for each apartment, though they were only labeled by apartment number, not tenant names.

"Fuck," he said, realizing he didn't know Suki's apartment number. He was about to try all six buttons, when he heard a sound behind him and half-turned.

Only to see Suki standing there.

"Suki!" he said, his heart in his throat. She saw him and when he rushed over to her, she threw her arms around him. He buried his face against her neck, holding her tightly to his chest. "I'm so sorry. I just found out. I saw one of the posters. I... I didn't know... What happened?"

But Suki was shaking, her face pressed to his shoulder. She had a bulging bag hanging from her arm, and he could see missing posters with Ty Lee's face on it jutting from the bag.

"Last night," Suki said, with tears in her voice, though she wasn't crying. "After you walked me home, I came in and... She was gone. She put up a fight, but... They took her, Zuko. They took Ty Lee, and I know they took her because of me. Donghai said he knew where I lived!"

Zuko stilled, and then pulled back slowly. He met Suki's blood-shot blue eyes and couldn't resist cupping her face. His heart was pounding, guilt making a molten lump in his stomach.

"It's not your fault. It's mine. Suki, I told you... I'm so sorry..."

But she shook her head, and something in her eyes hardened. "No. It's not your fault, Zuko. I know who took her. We all do. It was the Triads. It was Donghai. Someone has to stop them."

Zuko nodded. "Someone will."

"Yes, they will," Suki said, and anger shook her voice. "_I'm_ going to stop them, Zuko."

"Suki, no..." he started, but Suki stepped back, out of his arms.

"They took her alive. She fought them, but they didn't kill her. Which means she's still alive. There's still a chance to get her back before they move her out of the city, or... Or finish the job. She'll keep putting up a fight. That gives me time..."

Zuko's heart took a running leap up his throat. He reached for Suki, but she seemed to be somewhere else, the rage in her eyes a blazing thing. A dangerous thing.

"Time for what?"

Suki blinked, looking back up at him. "Nevermind. Thank you. For coming... I..."

"Let me help you, okay?"

"No," she said sadly, wiping at her nose, though she still wasn't crying. "You said it yourself. We should stay away from each other. For our own good. You shouldn't be involved in this. Goodbye, Zuko."

He wanted to argue with her, but he couldn't. He knew it was his fault, all of it. He had no argument, no defense. He watched her walk into her apartment building without looking back, and it was like his heart shattered into a million pieces on the spot.

She said she didn't blame him, but he knew that it was a lie. Of course it was his fault. Of course she would blame him. He blamed himself.

He had brought the demons to her door.

Which meant that he had to make it right, before Suki did something dangerous, like go after Donghai herself. She was a good fighter, but she couldn't do what he could.

He went back to his apartment and got dressed, watching the sun sinking slowly toward the horizon, the shadows of the buildings stretching out into forever. When the last streaks of orange and pink had faded from the sky, Zuko stepped out onto his fire escape, sliding the blue mask down over his face.

With night falling down around him, he took off across the city, running like a shadow from rooftop to rooftop.

He was going to find answers. For Ty Lee. For all of the girls.

For Suki.

* * *

_One week later..._

"I'm taking my break."

"Because you've been working so hard," came the sarcastic reply from the cook.

"Hey! Do you even know how hard it is being the best looking motherfucker you know? I'm exhausted," Lo Pan said with a smirk, ducking out the back door of the Golden Tiger Claw restaurant before the cook could reply.

Out of the hot hustle and bustle of the busy kitchen, the night air was cool on his heated skin. He leaned against the wall, and pulled out pack of cigarettes. After shaking one out and pulling it between his lips, he started fishing around in his pockets for his matches. "Dammit..."

He felt movement above him and looked up, startled, only to find himself staring a demonic blue face, which seemed to materialize out of the darkness just above him. The face cocked to the side, watching him.

Lo Pan's mouth opened, the cigarette stuck to his wet lip and dangling.

"Need a light?" the masked figure asked, and fire flared to life right in front of Lo Pan's eyes.

"Fucking shit!"

He went for the kitchen door, but a booted foot caught him in the back of the head, knocking him against the bricks. He turned, ready to punch at his attacker, but hands caught on his apron and he was slammed back against the wall.

More fire flared up right in his face. He spat the cigarette out, his mouth opening to call for help, but a hand clamped down over his, an elbow at his throat. His eyes widened as the fire danced between him and the masked man.

He had never seen the man before in his life, but he knew the Blue Spirit just the same. A bogeyman come to life.

"You're Lo Pan, aren't you?" the Blue Spirit said in a low voice. "Do you know why I'm here?"

The hand on his mouth lifted, just enough for his to reply. "N-no. No! I don't know anything."

"That's the only lie I'm going to let you tell me tonight," the Blue Spirit growled, hand clamping over his mouth again. "If you tell me what I want to hear, I'll leave you unharmed. But lie to me again..."

The threat lingered in the air and his eyes widened, fear making sweat pour down his temples.

"Trust me, it's better if you don't know what I'm going to do to you, you piece of shit," the Blue Spirit said, pushing the flames closer to his face. He could feel the heat there, promising pain. He flinched away, but there was nowhere to go. "You worked for the Triads before you went straight."

He hesitated, and then glanced at the fire dancing too close to his skin. He nodded.

"It took me all week to find someone who might talk," the Blue Spirit said. "The Triads don't turn on each other. And Donghai has been hard to find recently. So tell me what you know, where he might be. And where he might take the women he's been snatching off of the streets."

The hand over his mouth lifted.

"I don't know," Lo Pan said. The fire immediately pushed toward his face, but he flinched. "No! I really don't! I was never involved in that shit, I swear! I got out months ago! I ran numbers for them, helped with a few protection payments, that's it!"

"But you know where they would take the girls. Where Donghai might be holed up."

"Donghai ain't the problem. He works for the big bosses. You don't want to mess with them!"

"Yes, I do. Tell me everything you know!"

Lo Pan stared into the blank, merciless eyes of the Blue Spirit, fire reflecting off of the painted mask. The Triads would kill him for spilling his guts, and he knew it, but the Triads weren't here. The Blue Spirit was.

And Lo Pan recognized a killer when he saw one.

"There's... There might be one place..." Lo Pan said, his voice shaking.

Though he couldn't see it, he was sure there was a smile beneath that demonic blue mask.


	12. A Note From Me

Hello, MadameBomb here!

I just wanted to let all of my readers here know that I am no longer updating/uploading fics or chapters to this website. I'm tired of dealing with the constant glitches, including chapters not showing up, reviews lagging for weeks at a time, the document manager freezing up, and other functionality issues. I also just don't like the site in general. I've kind of had it up to here with it.

But don't worry! I will continue to update and upload this story, and others, over on Archive of Our Own, which I DO like and enjoy using. Bonus: I actually respond to reviews on AO3! I don't here because the review reply function sucks, but I do read your reviews and love all of them. Thank you so much for the amazing comments you leave me!

(Double bonus: I have lots of stories posted to AO3 that I don't have posted here! New content! Woo!)

My username on AO3 is **madamebomb**. If you have trouble finding my profile or stories, private message me for a link. I'll happily give it to you.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience, especially since we're mid-story here, but I'm just so very done dealing with all of these problems when I would prefer to only use Archive of Our Own anyway. I hope you like the story enough to follow me over there.

Thank you! You guys are the best!

-MadameBomb


End file.
